Multipel of a kind
by XsilverXserenade2
Summary: Jamie get kidnapped by his father to a circus, can the xmen rescue him? last chapter!
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1 **_

**"Ahhh! Get outta the way, Jamie!" A large trunk with legs yelled on its way to the mansion from an official-looking van in the drive. It was Scott. **

**"Jamie MOVE!" **

**"Oh, uh...sorry..." Jamie said, trying to move out of the way of Scott and the large atricle of furniture, and almost suceeding, had it not been for the fact that they were taking up the entire path. Before Jamie could move out of the way, Scott's elbow bumped against his chest, causing two more Jamie's to pop up behind him, pushing him forward and crashing headlong into Scott, causing him to cry out in frustration. **

**"I was uh...wondering if maybe you wanted to...uh... play basketball... but I see that you're doing something, so..can I help?" The two multiples behind Jamie nodded furvently, muttering, **

**"Ya, can we help?"**

**And**

**"What can we do?"**

**Scott grunted as he stood up, brushing himself off while darting his surprised yet angry eyes to all three of the pleading Jamies. **

**"You know, I think there is something you can do!" He said, cracking his knuckles firmly and stepping over the fallen trunk with the engravings "Tyler J. Allen" carved into the painted golden frame. **

**"What?!" All the Jamies cried in unision, looking up at Scott with bright, excited eyes. **

**Scott stepped forward, makeing Jamie and his two multiples crane their necks to look at him. **

**"You can get out of my way." Said Scott harshly, pushing one of the multiples out of his way as he picked up the trunk and moved out of sight. Jamie stood there watching him, and anger at being underestimated boiled up inside him. **

**"I wish he'd let me help!" The multiple Scott had pushed grumbled as he followed Jamie away from the moving van. **

**The other multiple nodded slowly and looked around for something else to do, spotting noone but Bobby, who was undenyable trying to flirt with Kitty. Kitty was pretty, he decided wth a smile, but he had never really met her. He turned his head as the multiple on his right dissapeared, and then looked in dissapointment as the one on his left joined it. **

**" Funny, they usually don't dissapear for at least an hour.." Jamie mumbled to himself as he grudged across the green lawn of the Xavier institute, wishing he could bring at least one of his friends from school here, or Professor Xavuer would at least let him go out on weekends. His mind went back to when he had asked the **

**Professor if he could go to a friends to sleep over. **

**" Professor- um- Xavier- um- I was um- wondering if I could- um-" Jamie squirmed in his chair uncomfortably. **

**" I'm sorry, Jamie, you cannot go to your friend's house for a sleepover. " **

**"How did you-" **

**The Professor gave Jamie a mysterious smile. **

**" I suppose none of the other recruits told you I was a telepath. But back to the matter at hand, I am sorry, it is too risky. Until we find out exactly how we can control your powers, and what the nature of your powers are, we can only have you going out when absolutely necessary, such as school. There is no telling what could happen if there was some sort of accident." **

**" But.. all my friends are going..." **

**" I'm sorry, Jamie, it cannot be done! You will just have to stay here and spend time with the friends you have in the institute."' **

**Jamie got up and headed towards the door slowly walked out, casting a final glance at the Professor before mumbling to himself, **

**" But I don't have any friends at the institute..." **

**Kitty laughed flirtatiously as Bobby tried to "wow" her with his ice powers, truely impressed. How cool would it be to be able to shoot ice out of your hands? She looked around the lawn and saw Jamie walking glumly across the grass, head down. She had never actually talked to Jamie, she simply knew he was there, and that he couldn't participate in half the training sessions the new recruits were part of. **

**" Hey Bobbie... isn't that Jamie?" Bobbie's eyes darted around the lawn angerly, and he was clearly annoyed at getting interrupted. **

**" Yah... so?" **

**Kitty shrugged , a curious smile on her face. **

**" Whats his power?" **

**Bobbie's eyes lit up excitedly, probably at the thought of impressing her with his knowlege. **

**"It's a really useless power actually.. more of a burden..its... um... well... its like..." **

**" Hard to explain?" Kitty interjected, grinning at Bobbie's inability to describe the power to her. **

**" I have an idea!" he shouted, clearly happy she had smiled at him.**

**" I'll show you! Cummon!" **

**Grabbing Kitty's hand, he pulled her across the lawn towards a depressed looking Jamie, seemingly unaware of his situation. **

**" Hey Jamie!" Bobbie called to him when they were but a couple of yards away. Jamie swung around with a surpised look on his face that instantly turned to joy. **

**" Oh, hey Bobbie!" Then, noticeing Kitty, he gave a shy, " Hi, Kitty" before turning back to Bobbie. **

**" Hey man, I just wanted to come over and give you a high five!" Bobbie grinned, winking at her and motioning for her to watch. **

**" Um...okay..." Jamie said uncertainly, but still smiling at the fact Bobbie was talking to him. **

**" Well?" Bobby said impatiently, his hand still posed in midair, a lot higher than Jamie's head. Oblivious to the annoyance in Bobbie's voice he jumped up and slapped his hand, landing hard on his butt and hearing the soft popping noise as five **

**more of him appeared behind him, all in the same position. **

**" Woh..." All the Jamies said together, some stareing up at Bobbie, others stareing around at the Institute from their perches on the springie green grass. **

**" See!!! Isn't that the COOLEST?!" Bobbie shouted, pointing at all the Jamies lounging on the grass, and what looked like the real Jamie standing up and brushing himself off. **

**Kitty giggled and nodded, before stepping forward to help one of the multiples that was closest to her up. **

**"Jamie?" She asked, brushing him off with a giggle. **

**"Yes?" Six voices chorused, all turning to look at her. This made Kitty giggle even more, which made all 6 Jamies blush and smile apolegetically. **

**"Which one is the real Jamie?" Bobby asked, stepping forward, a grin on his face. **

**The Jamie standing up raised his hand, but the four multiples sitting down and the one that had been helped up by Kitty all sprang forward, shouting, **

**"ME!" At all differance times. **

**Kitty found all of this extremely funny, and Bobby gave Jamie(or who he thought was Jamie) a thumbs up and a wink, before turning to Kitty and, leaning against a tree, said, **

**"You see, I know alot. I'm just about the smartest kid in my geomatry class...besides you, of course..." **

**Jamie shook his head and went on his way once again, waiting for the sound of his multiples running to catch up with him, which came soon after. **

**"Hey Jamie!" **

**"Almost lost you there!" **

**"Why'd you walk away?" **

**"That was a long run!" **

**"You shoulda waited!" **

**Jamie sighed and ignored the constant chattering of his multiples, and walked into the kitchen to find only one person occupying a chair. Jamie didn't know who he was, but then again, he didn't know alot of people. The boy sitting at the head of the table looked bored and aggrivated, his expression filled blue eyes darting around hyperly. His platinum blonde hair was askew, as though he had been running his fingers through it quite a few times, trying to get it to make it look right. He looked about Nightcrawlers age...was that 15? He'd always been too shy to ask. **

**"Hey!" Jamie cried, looking around. There were six seats at the table, and his multiples had taken up five of them.**

**"You guys have NO respect!" He grumbled, and was answered with, **

**"Get your own seat!" **

**"You snooze you lose!" **

**"Ha HA!" **

**"Na na na na na na!" **

**"This seat is SO comfy!" **

**Jamie let out an exasperated sigh and jumped up onto the high counter, deciding right then and there to try his luck with the stranger in the room. **

**"Um...hi!" Jamie said loudly, so the stranger could hear. **

**He looked up, and gave Jamie a death stare. **

**"Hi?" **

**Jamie looked uncomfortable. **

**"Um...can I ask...are you new?" **

**The death stare continued. **

**"Oh." **

**Jamie stared at the stranger for a moment, his mouth in a strait line like he other boy's, but in only a minute the side of his mouth twitched into a smile. To his surprise, so did the stranger's. **

**"Geuss I can't keep a strait face..." Jamie said, grinning. The boy nodded. **

**"Me either. Esspecially since theres someone grinning at me. I'm Tyler, what's your name?" He held out his hand to Jamie, and Jamie carefully shook it. **

**"I'm Jamie." **

**"Is that your gift?" Tyler motioned to the three multiples now left. The rest had faded. **

**Jamie nodded glumly. **

**"Sometimes. Um, hey, if you dont mind, can I ask you something?" **

**Tyler put his hands on his hips and sighed. **

**"Lemmie geuss, you want to ask me what my power is, right?" **

**Jamie opened his mouth, but Tyler put his hand up to stop him. **

**"Well you dont have to ask. I can attract metal objects with my body. There." **

**Jamie cleared his throat and grinned. **

**"Well, um, thats not what I was gunna ask, but...okay. I was gunna ask if you wanted to play basketball with me." **

**An excited smile lit up Tyler's face as he nodded, and they ran outside to the basketball court together. **

**"Well, that's the last of it. " Scott concluded, brushing his hands off.**

**"Now, where's the new recruit? I think the first thing he needs is a traditional X-Men welcome." **

**Professor Xavier chuckled. **

**"I'm afraid, Scott, that someone else has beat you to welcoming him. But if you'd like to introduce yourself, they're on the basketball court." **

**Scott nodded and headed torwards the basketball court, the leaves crunching underneath his feet. There was a large crowd surrounding the basketball court, cheering loudly, and Scott could see them making quite a commotion. It was obvious who was playing basketball with the new recruit. **

**The whole crowd of people looked like Jamie. **

**He walked up amist the many multiples of Jamies to the edge of the basketball court, and, leaning against a surprisingly calm multiple, examined the game being held. Despite the fact that all of the sideline Jamies were shouting into his ear, "Go Jamie!", there was some heavy action on the court, Jamie and Tyler twirling and throwing, using their greatest techniques to keep the ball away from the opposing player. The basketball hoop posessed a sort of lean to it, letting the much taller, older Tyler have the advantage of a perfect jumpshot. **

**_He should have told me he liked basketball!_ Scott mused to himself. _I would have played with him!_ **

**_But he did..._A voice in the back of his head snickered at his stupidity. _Don't you remember? He asked you to play with him, just this morning!_ **

**"I dont remember that!" He said to the voice. **

**_Ah...you don't?_ The voice weedled back. _He was trying to cheer you up...because it was yesterday night that Jean announced she was going to the prom with Duncan, do you remember now?_ **

**"I still don't remember that." **

**One of the Jamies that was cheering for...the real Jamie stopped to whisper to the Jamie next to him, pointing at Scott. **

**Scott shifted uncomfortably and watched the game once again. But something was strange about the basketball hoop...it seemed bent...as though something was uprooting it from its surface... **

**"Guys!" Scott shouted, waving his arms to get the boys attention. Jamie looked up from his concentrated dribbling of the ball and waved with a smile, while as Tyler quickly snatched the ball away from the smaller boy's careful grasp. Scott was about to call out to the two players once more, but his cries were stifled by a large, earsplitting crash, and a body to come barelling into him, sending him to the ground. **

**Pushing a large form he knew was Tyler off of him as gently as he could in his panic, he coughed and squinted into a mass of dust that had arisen from the impact of the basketball hoop falling atop the cement court. **

**There was Tyler, now where was... **

**"Jamie?" Scott looked around for Jamie, but he only saw a large mass of crumpled multiples. The senier jumped forward onto the mashed basketball court, raising his voice in obvious panic.**

**"JAMIE!" **

**"Scott?" A small voice could be heard on the opposite side of the basketball court from where Scott was. **

**"Jamie, where are you?" Scott took a cautious step, looking around. **

**"I'm stuck! I can't get my arm out!" Scott spotted him and quickly ran to his aid. **

**"Oh..." Scott groaned. Jamie's arm was stuck underneath the basketball hoop. **

**"Okay...how do we do this?" **

**Scott crouched down next to Jamie and thought quick. He would have to move it...but if he used his lazer vision, he might hit Jamie... **

**"Alright. I'm going to move this, okay? It might hurt." **

**Jamie bit his lip and nodded. **

**Putting his hands on either side of where Jamie's arm was, Scott pushed the large, metal off of the boy's arm as gently as he could. There was a yell and a sob from Jamie, who now had tears running down his face, but that was the only noise heard by the boy while the item was being moved off of his arm. **

**"See...it's moved...now let me see take a look at your arm..." Scott instructed, hoping he was doing the right thing. **

**Jamie covered his eyes with his uninjured arm to cover up his tears and, with much pain, held out his arm to Scott. The outside of it was shiny and red, while some parts were covered with thick red blood. **

**"Okay, I need to take you to the hospital ward. You're bleeding." Scott slowly lifted Jamie up into his arms, careful not to touch his hurt arm. **

**"Tyler! Go get Ororo!" Tyler nodded and ran out the doors in front of Scott. **

**The 12 year old that Scott held was letting out jagged sobs into the sleeve of his uninjured arm, his eyes getting heavy and pain shooting throughout his entire arm and shoulder. A mysterious blackness crept into the close corners of his mind, asking permission to wrap itself around his confused thoughts. **

**"Okay, Jamie, focus!" Scott's persuasive voice jerked Jamie out of the trance he had once been in, and the boy focused on Scott. **

**"Okay. Now, whatever you do, DON'T PASS OUT! Think about happy things...waterfalls, snow, nightstars...no, not night stars!" **

**Boring. Jamie thought to himself, but focused his mind on snow... **

**"Wait, I've never seen snow..." Jamie commented, his voice fading, as though he was nodding off. **

**"Jamie! Wake up! Okay, let's play a game. I say basket, you have to say ball. Ready?" **

**Jamie let in a breath. **

**"Ready." **

**"Okay. Basket..." **

**"Ball." **

**"Good. Basket?" **

**"Ball..." **

**"Basket?" **

**"Ba..." Jamie's voice faded. **

**"BASKET?!" Scott shouted, making Jamie start in his arms. **

**"Ball." **

**They entered the hospital ward, and Jamie was quickly handed over to Logan's waiting arms, lead into the busy ward by Ororo. **

**"Basket?" Scott asked before they dissapeared into critical care. **

**He got no answer. **


	2. Chapter 2

Scott stood next to the sobbing new recruit in sympathy outside the hospital ward, only hearing bits and pieces of what the boy was saying. He was talking to the Professor, who, despite his calm face, was concerned.

"I'm so s-sorry...d-didn't know the basketball hoop w-was m-m-metal...Jamie never told me...thought it was something else...at home..."

The Professor laid a hand on Tyler's shaking shoulder gently.

"It is alright, Tyler, it was a simple mistake."

Tyler shrugged Professor Xavier's shoulder away and turned torwards the door.

"Well..." He inquired, sniffing. "I geuss I better start packing my stuff up again..."

"Hey!" Scott pulled him back. "Look, we all make mistakes. I didn't even know the basketball hoop was metal. Having a power like that can't be easy, and you couldn't help it."

Tyler's eyes lit up, and Scott had a sudden flashback of three Jamies that morning.

"You mean I'm STAYIN?!"

Scott nodded.

"Sharing a room with Roberto."

The smiling boy pumped his fist into the air and jumped up.

"Yes!" He yelled, before running out to his new room.

Logan stepped out of the Hospital ward the moment Tyler left.

"How is he doing, Logan?" Professor Xavier asked. Logan shook his head and looked down at the floor.

"I ain't no doctor..."

His sentence was left unfinished as he sauntered away from the hospital ward, Scott following in his suit.

"That was um...a pretty nice thing you did, you know, helping Ororo out. Why'd you do it?"

Logan turned his head away from Scott for a moment, then turned and looked strait ahead where he was walking.

"I dont have pity on the weak who can be strong, but don't." He shot a glance at Evan's bedroom door as they passed it. "But what I do have pity for is the weak who can't do nothing about it."

Scott's mind bounced the words around for a moment, than chose to question them.

"What?"

He could hear Logan let out a gruff sort of groan mixed with a sigh as he put his hand on his forhead.

"Ugh...take it this way, bub. Basically, that kid's got powers we don't wanna mess with, cause we're not sure what'll happen. He got his powers at a young age. We're not even sure how he figured out he had em."

Scott listened curiously.

"What do you mean?"

The sigh groan once again, and he hand on the forhead.

"All I can say, is when we got to the place he was stayin, kid was scared outta his wits of something already, and we didn't make it any better. The only thing that made him come was when we told him he'd be staying somewhere else."

Brushing his hand against his hair, the taller, yet younger boy looked upon Logan with an interested aire.

"What happened when you got there?"

Logan made a noise deep in his throat to show he was thinking, than started.

"It went like this..."

_flashback _

It was cold, very cold, even for a snowy day in Febuary. Usually Providence, Rhode Island never got this cold. Even the inside of a house with no heat felt colder than the outside, it was so cold. It never got this cold. Usually.

But usually you wern't hiding in your living room from 6 human beings who had the same facial expressions, same eyes, hair, clothes, same everything as you.

It was obvious his father hadn't MEANT for it to happen, but somehow, it did. With one hard blow to the eye, there, he looked over to see six more of...HIM!

His father had pointed an accusing finger at him, and it shook with emotion, although which was sure a mystery.

"You're...you're a..." And he swept off and out the door of their small, three room, one story house.

Jamie just stopped to stare at the strange clones of himself, the pain in his left eye throbbing his vision of both.

"Ahhhhh!" Jamie quickly darted into his room, which was not too far away.

But they followed him.

"Ahhh!" He screamed again, and ran out into the living room/kitchen/dining room. And to make matters worst, there was someone knocking at his door.

He peeked out the large, picture window through the curtain at the people awaiting to be let into his house. There was a large, muscley man, in an orange suit with strange ears, and a girl, rather pretty, with shiney red hair, a headband, and a sleek black suit that looked like as if it fit like a glove.

"G-go away..." He called, backing into the kitchen/dining room table. "L-leave me alone..."

There was a sound, like metal hitting metal, and Jamie wondered what was going on outside his door. Were they sharpening knives to kill him?

Then, the sound of wood being broken. Metal claws were breaking down the door!

"Ahhh!" Jamie cried, and ran into his room and slammed the door. Tears ran down his face as he threw himself into a corner and shielded himself with his arms. If they wanted him, they'd have to get through his shield first...

Jean Grey and Logan quickly ran into the house after the small boy. He had been screaming...but nothing seemed to be wrong in the house.

Jean turned the doorknob to the boy, Jamie's, room and opened the door cautiously. The sight she saw made her eyes widen, and made Logan stop behind her in the doorway with a "woa..."

There was seven of Jamie Madrox spread out across the almost empty bedroom, six of them talking and laughing as though Jean and Logan had always been in that room, that they were old friends. It was obvious to see who the real Jamie was, though, the only one NOT talking and laughing. The frightened, crying boy in the corner was obviously the real Jamie.

"Why are you crying?" Jean asked softly, taking a step closer to the small boy. He said nothing, but continued crying into his arms.

"Jamie."

This got a response. The boy stopped crying and looked up at her, and Jean noticed a black eye amist his tear stained face, but he seemed not to notice it, so neither did she.

"How do you know my name?"

Jean attempted a smile to cheer the boy up, but he did not smile back.

"I know your name because you have a gift."

Jamie stared at her for a moment, and then turned his head away.

"No I don't. No...I don't."

Jean sighed and made eye contact with the boy.

"That's what I thought when I first got my powers."

Jamie's yes opened wide.

"YOU have powers?!"

She nodded and smiled.

"Yes." Jean lifted her hands up and focused on a baseball hat that was lying on the desk near the window. The baseball hat hovered in thin air, and did a few spirals on Jean's command.

"Ahhh!" Jamie yelled, and ran torwards his door to escape. But alas, Wolverine blocked his way and sent him crashing, hard, to the ground. Around him, three multiples appeared.

"So that's how it works..." He heard the large, costumed man mumble. Jamie quickly jumped up and covered his eyes with his hands and let out a small noise like a whimper.

He was trapped.

"Wha...what do you want? Why are you here?"

Jean stepped torward him softly, and crouched down to look him in the face. Seeing his frightened eyes, she had the sudden urge to engulf him in a warm, friendly hug, but she restrained herself, and settled with putting one hand on each arm, as if to hold him in place.

"I want to tell you about a place...a place about new beginnings, a place for people like you and me."

Jamie gave her a look of disbelief.

"New beginnings?"

"New beginnings."

"Away from all of this?" The boy lifted his hands up to signal his room.

The response he got was a nod and a smile. Calmly, almost cautiously, Jamie walked over to a small door to the side of his room. Opening it, he pulled out a small orange duffle bag, worn and old from obvious overusage. Without a word he walked back over to his bed, and expectedly searched through its abyss, finally turning up with a small, soft, brown teddy bear. With a small smile he held it up, admireing the patched fabric and missing eye, before placeing it carefully into the bag. He turned to look at Jean, happy impatience written all over his beaming, boyish features.

" Well?" He said slowly, holding out the duffle bag, " Aren't you gonna help me pack?"

_end flashback_

"Mysterious...you never even met his dad?" Scott asked, rubbing his chin.

Logan shook his head.

"Seems somethin' was wrong, that made him wanna get away from there as soon as possible. And I've been watchin' him...doesn't seem to click with the other students much."

Scott nodded, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Maybe I should be a little nicer to him from now on."

"...still unconsience."

That voice...where was it coming from?

"...blood loss and...sleep...understand...goodbye."

_Hello? Can you hear me? _

_Hello?_

Jamie tried to unstick his tounge from the top of his mouth.

"Ugh..." He managed out, and tried to unglue his eyes apart from the strong hold they had on each other.

He could hear a commotion rustling around him.

"Jamie? Are you awake?"

Jamie finally unstuck his eyes.

"Mom? What are you doing here? I thought you were in the Bahamas...with Aunt Becky..."

His vision blurred into a mixture of colors, seemingly coming together to look like...his mother?

"Mom, my arm hurts, and my head feels funny..."

"Jamie? Come to it Jamie..."

"Mommy, why are you here? You don't have time, after you get back from the Bahamas you have to go to Africa..."

"Africa?" The voice was slow, as though it was a tape in slow motion.

"Yea...to meet your tribe...they miss you...I miss you..."

Blinking, the blurry image cleared, leaving a clear view of a white haired, dark skinned, concern faced woman bending down upon him.

"Wait...You're not my mom..."

Storm's eyebrows mushed together in worry.

"Jamie, you were ha...lu...ci...na...ting..." Her mouth formed the word slow in Jamie's mind, but fast in Storm's.

_Hallucinating? What's that mean?_

"Ha...lu...ci...na...ting?"

Ororo nodded.

"Yes." And then turned away. "Are you hungry?"

Jamie shook his head, not caring that the older woman's back was facing him. When she turned around, she had a tray with a bowl of soup, bread, and a glass filled to the brim with what LOOKED like cherry coolaid.

"You had better eat. You need strength."

The boy looked down at the soup with a sigh, and looked back up at Ororo with a frightened look.

"Um...if you don't mind...is it okay if I, um, don't eat?" He cringed, waiting for her answer.

What he got was a smile and a nod.

"Well, alright, if you wish, but you have to drink the juice.It will help you sleep."

Ororo picked up the tray put down only moments before and handed the glass to him.

"It's cherry."

Jamie gave a small smile to Storm and took the glass thankfully.

"Mmm...Cherry!" He held the glass(which was rather large) with two hands, and took a large sip, emptying more than half of the glass.

"Now, you must drink that ENTIRE glass. Understand?"

Jamie nodded.

"I'll be back in a little while. Remember, the entire glass!" And with that statement, Ororo exited the hospital ward.

"Ugh...I just remembered I hate cherry..." Jamie attempted to take another sip, but it wouldn't go down.

"I have an idea!"

He clapped his hands together firmly, and a multiple appeared on each side of him.

Standing up, Jamie helf the drink out.

"One of you want this?"

The two multiples cast dark looks at the other.

"I'll have it." One stated loudly, and grapped the cup.

The other multiple did not take this well.

"No, I'LL have it!" And he grabbed the cup also.

"HEY, stop!" Jamie called, grabbing the cup away from both of them. "You each can have HALF!"

The multiples sheepishly nodded, while Jamie looked around for another cup. He didn't find one.

"Well, I geuss," He gave the cup to one of the multiples. "You drink half, and then give the rest to him."

"Fair!" The multiples agreed, nodding their heads. The first multiple downed the contents of the cup until there was a little more than an inch left, then handed it to the other.

"Here you go!" He said, grinning evilly and turning to the real Jamie.

"Got any more of that stuff?" Jamie shook his head and put his hands up in defeat.

Both the multiples, even the one who had, just a moment before, been hopping around, trying to get juice out of the cup, hung their heads in dissapointment.

"None?"

Jamie shook his head, and looked around.

"Maybe we could find some. I mean, everyone has cherry coolaid..."

The multiples both nodded and eached jumped up onto a counter, looking into every cabinet they could reach. Jamie, on the other hand, searched the closet.

They returned moments later.

"Find anything?" Asked one of the multiples. Jamie and the other multiple shook their heads.

Jamie yawned.

"Well, I'm getting tired."

The two multiples stared at him.

"Can't we go to YOUR room to sleep, Jamie?"

Jamie, who was feeling a little sleepy, nodded.

"I didn't want to sleep on that uncomfortable bed anyway."

Together, the three walked out of the hospital ward, sure to move their steps lightly, as to not wake up the whole mansion with their noise.

"You're going too fast!"

"No YOU'RE going too slow!"

"Jamie, tell him he's going too fast!"

"Jamie, you're going too fast."

"Jamie, you're supposed to be on my side! Am not!"

"Shhh! We'll wake EVERYONE up!"

Immediately, the two multiples silenced.

"Now, where's my room again?"

They walked down another flight of stairs.

"I don't remember having to go down so many stairs to get to my room..."

"Yah, me neither."

"Ditto!"

"Shhhh!"

A sound echoed through the hallway. A door creaking.

"Oh no, we're gunna get CAUGHT!"

"Ruuuuuuunnn!"

The whispering of his multiples was not reassuring as they scampered off in a differant direction than the light pouring from an open door.

"Uh...um..." Jamie pondered, before calling, "Hey, wait up!" and running after his multiples.

He found them standing grogilly outside a large door. The sleeping concoction had gotten the better of them, too.

"Is THIS your room?" One asked.

Jamie nodded.

"I think so."

They shrugged and walked inside the large room. The shiny, reflective walls glinted with mystery, and the identical floors glinted with a sort of awaiting danger to become.

"Wow...this is the COOLEST room! Woo hoo!"

The Jamie that had exclaimed that jumped up with his fist in the air.

"Hey guys, " He turned to the other multiple and the original Jamie with an evil glint in his eye. "Wanna play TAG?"

The other two grinned and nodded, clapping their hands together(Jamie with a tad bit of difficulty, because of his cast) to make more players. Great games always have more players!

"Not it!"

"Not it!"

"Not it!"

The chorus of 'not its' echoed through the danger room until only one clueless Jamie was left to be it.

"No fair!" He called, but no one but himself was listening, so he just smiled and ran after the first multiple he saw.

"Ha ha ha TAG!"

The tagged multiple gave the other an icy glar, but then smiled and quickly targetted another one of the multiples.

"YES! GOTCHA!"

The laughing echoed through the danger room, but was interrupted by a strong, mechanical voice.

"Activating Gotcha 1."

"Huh?" A unision of voices agreed.

Zing! A lazer whipped past one of the multiples heads.

"Ahhh!" He screamed, and was followed by others as they ran to dodge the lazers.

"What the...?" Jamie asked as a large, spiralling weapon of knives headed strait torwards him. "Ahhh!"

"Jamie!" A multiple called, pushing him out of the way and quickly obsorbing into him.

Maybe these multiples are good for something after all. Jamie thought as he got up, his arm throbbing. Wait...the Professor, he was one of those people...those people who could read minds...but how did he reach him?

_Professor?_ Jamie thought hard, trying to contact the Professor Xavier. _Professor?_

Professor Xavier was jerked out of his sleep by a voice. Someone was calling him...in his head...at what hour of the night.

One A.M. Alright, morning.

_Professor?_ The voice echoed._Professor?!_

_Yes?_ Charles said in his head, not comprehending who he was talking to.

_Ahhhh! Where did THAT come from? My arm!_

A click of panic arose in Professor Xavier's head. _Jamie? _

_He got no answer. Ororo. Charles sent out a brain wave in the direction of the weather witch's room. Yes Charles? A fuzzy brain wave of Ororo's asked. Ororo, I would like you to go and check on the Infirmary, if you don't mind. I have reason to beleive that Multiple is having some distress. _

_There was no answer in his mind, but he knew Ororo was doing what he had asked. _

_"Professor!" Kitty's form appeared through the wall. "Professor, there's someone in the danger room!" _

_Professor Xavier gasped as Scott bustled in through the door, followed by Logan. _

_"Professor, theres..." He started, than saw Kitty, her watch blinking. "Oh..." _

_"Wonderful you noticed, Scott, but I have already been informed. Please get suited up and ready, and I'll inform the others." _

_X-Men, assemble in the basement. As you can see, someone has trespassed into the danger room. _

_Now in his wheelchair, Professor Xavier wheeled himself to the danger room, immediately joined by Scott, who held a record for somehow suiting up and being ready in an amazing 30 seconds. _

_"Who could it be, Professor?" _

_Professor Xavier bent his head in thought. _

_"I'm not sure." _

_"Jamie?" Ororo called, walking into the dark Infirmary."Jamie?" _

_She tried flicking on the lights. Nothing happened. _

_"Jamie? Are you playing hide and seek on Ororo?" She sighed but smiled at the childish game that popped images into her head of her and her sister, playing hide and seek, but of course, they would always find each other. _

_With a sigh, Storm lifted a finger an jolted the fuse with a lightning bolt, flickering the lights on. What she saw made her wish they were still off. _

_Jamie's hospital bed was empty, but it was obvious he had been there. The white blanket was frumples, and a little stained with the red juice Ororo had given him. The cup it was been in was upside down on the counter, and underneath it all was open cabinets and doors, the contents spilled, and only one thing opened. _

_The sleeping powder. _

_She had put it into the juice, and stirred it in, but there had been much more...and now it was everywhere... _

_Did he consume it?! Ororo thought to herself in panic. Kids and sugar...I knew I should have put it in a higher place... _

_Charles! Jamie is not in the Hospital Ward. Ororo thought freely, hoping Xavier heard. _

_He did. _

_Yes Ororo...we found him. _


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

**Scott and the other X-Men could only stare in wonder as Kitty phased them through the door of the Danger Room. There were at least sixty Jamies in there, all of them running and dodging. **

**"What the HECK?!" Spyke yelled, his eyes wide with wonder. **

**"Wheres Wolverine?!" Jean shouted to Scott, as he was exploding one of the lazer guns. **

**"I don't know!" **

**Scott shouted back, looking around. "Him and the Prof are the only ones who can disable this...AHHH!" **

**One of the MANY multiples in the danger room pushed Scott out of the way as he was almost hit by a large metal ball in his distractions. **

**"Ugh!" It grunted as it hit him, but the only thing that happened was five more multiples came out of him. **

**"Woa...did you see that?" Scott asked Kitty, who was staring wide eyed as Jamie's multiples fought to protect not only him, but everybody. **

**"Logan!" Kitty turned to see Logan running in. **

**Logan wasted no time. **

**"Security coad override, Gotcha 1, voice print, Wolverine." His gruff voice echoed through the Danger room as all of the machines shut down. **

_**uh oh...**_**Jamie thought.**_**I'm in TROUBLE.**_

**Just as he suspected, Scott's lumbering figure was soon in front of him, making Jamie quickly avert his eyes to the floor. **

**"What...?" Scott started, then corrected himself. "Wait, nevermind, I dont even want to KNOW what you were thinking!" **

**Jean's hand was on his arm from behind. **

**"Scott, calm down." **

**Scott pushed her hand away. **

**"Jamie, what you did was irresponsible and stupid! You could have been SERIOUSLY hurt in here! You can't handle the Danger Room unless there's SUPERVISION!" **

**Jamie just nodded, but his multiples wouldn't give up without a fight. One walked forward with a determined look on his face and stepped in front of Jamie. **

**"I'm sorry, Scott, it was MY fault. I'll take the blame..." **

**"NO!" Another cut in, running forward and pushing the other out of the way. "It was MY fault, I'm the one who should take the blame!" **

**"No me!" Two shouted at once, jumping forward. **

**"Stop!" One standing to the left of Scott yelled to the other four, stepping forward in a calm manner. "I have a solution to all of this. I'LL take the blame." **

**"NO!" They all chorused, tackling the "peaceful" one. **

**"What the HECK?" Evan repeated. "Not only is there TONS of them, they all wanna get in TROUBLE! Thats just WEIRD!" **

**Jamie was staring at his multiples, an apolegetic grin on his face, but when he turned back to Scott, his smile immediately vanished. **

**"I'm...I'm sorry, Scott..." He swayed slightly, his eyes drooping. But his eyes were immediately thrown open by the sound of Logan's voice. **

**"Some people's powers are stronger than others, kid, and yours ain't the strongest in the world. You gotta watch it, and actually THINK before you do something, is THAT so hard? I mean, some people just..." **

**Jamie's eyes swam in and out of focus and he tried to keep eye contact with Wolverine, finding it difficult because he had to look strait up to look at him. His mind was growing foggy, and it was getting hard to hear what Logan was saying. **

**"...and the kid isn't even LISTENING to me!" **

**Swaying slightly once again, Jamie looked around at the now MANY, many multiples around him, two stepped forward, starting to flicker, and melted into him. **

**"Woa..." He said quickly, and fell to the shiny danger room floor in a deep, mindless sleep. **

**"OH my gosh!" Jean gasped, running forward to Jamie (who was now surrounded by concerned Multiples). "Jamie!" She shook him. "Jamie!" **

**"Hey!" One of the braver multiples stepped in front of her. "Stand back, lady, give him some AIR! I can tell you one thing, that CHEAP perfume you're wearing ain't gunna do NOTHING for him!" **

**"Isn't going to do anything." Storm corrected, parting the crowd. The multiple who had just insulted Jean ran and hid behind her, letting out a yell. **

**"He isn't going to wake up for awhile." Ororo concluded, picking up a long forgotten empty cup from the floor and watching as the many multiples turned into a few, and then a few into none, as they all went into Jamie. "I gave him a sleeping drought before I left him, and it seems that either himself, or one of his mischievous multiples, liked it so much they decided o have some more." **

**Kitty snickered behind her hand, hiding her head behind Kurt when Ororo and Scott glared at her. **

**"I geuss we'll just have to have a talk with him AFTER he wakes up." **

**Everyone nodded and walked out of the danger room, Logan carrying a heavily sleeping Jamie back to the hospital ward. **

**"I beleive we need to discuss a matter." Professor Xavier inquired, his head tilted like he was thinking. "I beleive we need to find a way to control Jamie's powers." **

**Jean, who was lounging on the arm of the chair Scott was sitting in, stood up. **

**"But, his powers are so...uncontrollable. We don't even know how he figured them out!" **

**Scott stood up also, his arms crossed across his chest. **

**"Maybe he needs to just...mature a bit before joining us." **

**Professor Xavier nodded, but had a dissaproving look on his face. **

**"I agree, Scott, but if you are suggesting that he be returned to his home, I'm afraid that cannot be done." **

**Scott sat back down in a huff. **

**"Why? I don't understand." **

**His fingers tapped themselves against those of the other hand as Professor Xavier listed off the reasons. **

**"Well, Scott, we currently do not know where his mother is to send him to her, and although we have the location of his father's residence, It is reported that he has not been there for a few months. Also, even the slightest touch from anything solid could leave him with another of himself. Think about how that would look in public. We cannot risk it." **

**Scott nodded. **

**"So, what are we gonna do?" **

**Ororo cut in. **

**"I think we should take it a step at a time, Scott, and let it take control of itself." **

**Eyes narrowed, Logan released the question that had been swimming in everybody's minds since the subject had been brought up. **

**"But what if it doesnt?" **

**Ororo's eyes looked to the ground. **

**"We just have to hope." **

**Jamie opened his eyes slowly, squinting in the light. **

**"I'm HERE again?" He sighed. He was in the Hospital Ward. Again. "Thats it. I'm going to my room." **

**Sitting up groggilly, Jamie noticed the Hospital Wing was empty. Surprise surprise. He slowly walked out the door of the infirmary, looking from side to side as not to get caught. He was used to sneaking around places, and he usually NEVER got caught. Unless he was towing around three multiples, that is. **

**On the way to his room, Jamie saw, down the hall, a room with a light streaming from a crack. The talking coming from it was evident, it was the older X-men. Dare he try to listen? Finally, his curiosity got the better of him and he was flat against the wall outide the door, near the light of the door. He could hear the voices more clearly now. **

**"...Professor?" He heard Scott finish a statement. So Scott was there. Hmph. **

**"Scott, why not just wait a little while?" **

**Jamie heard Scott sigh at Jean's request. **

**"I just think, that it would be better if he was home...with his family." **

**Home? Jamie thought, alarmed. But...this is my home now. They weren't thinking of sending him...back to his dads...were they? **

**I will never go back there ever again! Jamie thought, before running up to his room in a fit of frenzy. **

**"Not going home...not going home!" He mumbled to himself as he quickly changed clothes. Grabbing his school bag, Jamie knew he could only bring what he needed. His school supplies, of course, but what else? There was only one thing Jamie could thinkof that he really, truely needed. **

**"Teddy..." He said affectionately, pulling his old, worn out Teddy bear into a tight hug. **

**It smelt of dust and memories. **

**"You know I could NEVER leave YOU behind." **

**He gently placed the bear into his back pack, and then turned off his light and turned to leave. **

**"I still think you should apologise for what you said." **

**"Apologise? Why me?" **

**Someone was coming down the hall! He couldn't close his door, that'd be too obvious, but if he made too much noise, he'd be caught! **

**"Uh...uhh..." he moved over to the door and pushed it slowly forward a little, as to make room for him to slide in. It creaked, but made room. **

**"Hey, what was that?" **

**Jamie could hear Scott thinking as they passed by his door. **

**"It was probably the wind." **

**"Ya." And they walked off. **

**Quickly, before they came back, Jamie sprinted from his room, down the hall and out the mansion door with surprisingly no difficulty. **

**He had made it into the world. **

**Jamie walked up the steps to his school tiredly. He had been walking all night...no, morning, to find his school. Usually Ororo drove him in the X-Van, but today was differant. **

**Much differant. **

**It was one of those days where, even though he had stayed up all night and morning, he wasn't tired enough during school to actually fall asleep. Sure, his eyes drooped, but that was about it. It wasn't until school had finished, and Jamie walked out the front steps instead of the back steps, a bundle of questions and thoughts barrelled down upon him like bricks to his head. **

_**Where are you going to go? **_

_**Do you have any idea what you're doing? **_

_**Are you INSANE? **_

_**I want to go home and sleep. **_

_**What will Ororo say when you're not out there? **_

_**You should go and wait for her.**_

**"Shut up!" Jamie whispered to himself angerly, attracting the attention of a person on the street. He was walking on a street in which he'd never heard of before, or seen, but it was grubby, and sort of...depressing. **

**"Maybe I do want to go back to the institute...I'm tired too. But even if I DID know the way back, right when I got there they'd probably send me home." **

_**And NOW you're talking to yourself. **_

**"Am not." **

_**Are too.**_** He sat down on a bench and crossed his arms. **

_**NOW what are you going to do? **_

_**Sit here all day? **_

_**You should go back to the mansion. **_

_**Home isnt that bad. **_

_**Dad isn't that mean. **_

_**Are you tired?**_

**"Leave me ALONE." Jamie whispered as he slouched on the bench. **

**What WAS he going to do? He had no where to go besides the Xavier institute, but Jamie didn't want to go home, and even if he did, how was he going to find where the Xavier institute was ANYWAY? It's not like they gave him a map. **

**Sighing, Jamie closed his eyes slowly. Just to rest them before he got up again and went to...wherever he was going. **

**Fourty winks. **_** One, two, three, four, five, six... **_

_**What comes after six? **_

_**I can't remember. **_

_**I do, it's one. **_

_**Six, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, One...**_

**And with that, his head resting comfortably on his arm, Jamie fell into a peaceful sleep. **

**Lance Alvers walked down the cracked sidewalk with an aire of annoyance in his step. So many things had gone wrong today, he just wanted to go back to the brotherhood house and relax. **

**Walking past a bench, Lance peered over to see a small twelve year old, fast asleep in it's clutcheses. **

_**Aww...how cute.**_** Lance thought, but then doubled back when something in his mind clicked torwards the kid. **

_**Hey, that's an X-Man!**_

**"Hey..." Lance leaned over the kid. "Hey kid! Wake up..." **

**The kid didn't budge. **

**"Um..." Lance thought, he couldn't leave the kid here, after all...who knew what might happen to him. **

**"Alvers, sometimes I think you're heart is bigger than your brain. " He said to himself as he picked the kid up and draped him over his back, like he was receiving a piggy back ride, and walked back to his car. **

**He drove in silence all the way back to the Brotherhood house, with no radio on to serenade him. He was shooting glances back at the sleeping kid in the backseat, afraid he would wake up and jump out of the car in absolute fright that a "stranger" had picked him up. **

_**Not really a stranger though, I kind of knew him.**_** Lance thought as he pulled into the long, horseshoe shaped driveway of the Brotherhood house. **

**He carried Jamie inside. **

**"HEY LANCE, I..." Tabby started excitedly, but Lance shushed her and pointed to his back. **

**"Aww..." She cooed, patting Jamie on the head. "Hey, isn't this an X-Man?" **

**Lance chose not to answer that as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. **

**"It IS an X-Man. If they find out he's here you know what they're gonna DO to us?" **

**Lance chose not to answer that also. **

**"Poor thing...did you kidnap him, Lance?" Tabby laughed behind him. "Or did he run away?" **

**Placing Jamie onto his own bed and covering him with a blanket, Jamie turned and left his room. **

**"I don't know if he ran away. I found him on a bench." **

**Tabby found this extremely funny. **

**"You mean...geesh, Baldie's sure having bad luck among the newbies. I mean, first me leaving, then him...soon they'll be no one left but Goggle Boy and Jelly Bean." **

**"Ya well, we'll see when he wakes up." **

**Tabby nodded. **

**"Well, Rocky, as I was sayin', I made a CAKE. Wanna see? Its pretty and pink and...pretty." **

**Lance smiled and followed Tabby to see her cake. **

**"Jaaaaamie...Jaaaamie...it's time to wake uuuuup..." A voice echoed in Jamie's head. **

**"Ugh...Just five more MINUTES.." ****He groaned. **

**"Ooookay." The voice echoed again, and Jamie rolled over in shock. **

**He never got to sleep five minutes longer. **

**Where was he? **

**"Hey Jamesie!" He heard a voice popping with excitement called. ****"Top of the mornin' to ya!" **

**"T-Tabby?" Jamie asked, staring up at the face of Boom-Boom. "I thought you left the X-Men!" **

**Her face swam in and out of focus. **

**"I did." **

**Jamie stared at her. **

**"Then...then...where am I?" **

**Tabby pulled him out of the bed and moved his arms as she danced. **

**"Well, you're with the brotherhood now, short stuff!" **

**Jamie released his hand and reached up to fix his hair. **

**"The brotherhood?" **

**"The brotherhood!" **

**He stared at her with a blank look. **

**"Who's in the brotherhood?" **

**She grabbed his hands again and pulled him out the door. **

**"I'll introduce you!" **

**The two went down a rickety flight of stairs, past a junky living room, and into a practically falling apart kitchen. **

**"Lance! Short stuff's awake!" **

**There was a woosh of wind as Pietro entered the scene, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. **

**"So...you're-the-Xman-are-ya? Well...he doesnt-seem-that-bad." **

**"AWWW!" A booming voice entered the kitchen. "He's so..." Fred stood next to Jamie. "Small!" **

**Todd hopped in and stood next to Jamie, putting his arm around his shoulders. **

**"No way, man, he's just the right size!" **

**Jamie smiled at them all. **

**"So...does this mean I'm in the brotherhood now?" **

**Lance came down into the room at that time. **

**"Not quite yet." He smirked at them all. "Only a junior brotherhood member." **

**Tabby caught on right away. **

**"Ya, you hafta pass a TEST!" **

**Jamie pumped his fist into the air energetically. **

**"What do I gotta do?!" **

**A/N: Ok so I used all night to write this chapter because I couldn't sleep. I hope you liked and smiles reviews will be appreciated **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

_**Now listen up, you've got alot to learn  
And if you dont learn you dont eat,  
But if you're tough, and always use your head,  
You'll be right at home on the street.  
When you got talent everything is free,  
Watch how we do things oooh I gaurentee  
You're gunna see how the best survive  
We make an art out of staying alive  
If you do just as you're told  
These are streets of gold.  
Every boulevard is a miracle mile,  
You'll take the town, and you'll take it with style,  
If you play it brave and bold,  
These are streets of gold.  
To live from week to week  
You need technique,  
So you'll practice every day.  
The only rule, is "thou shall not get caught",  
Get what you can and then get away.  
Remember all the places you can hide,  
Remember we are always on your side.  
Youre gunna see how the bets surivive  
We make an art out of staying alive,  
If you do just as you're told,  
These are streets of gold. **_

**"Ready, short stuff?" Tabby's voice cut into Jamie's far off thoughts as she pulled him into their planning circle outside "Dixie's Grocers". **

**"Alright, here's the plan." Lance's voice was in such a whisper that the four of them had to lean forward to hear what he was saying. "Heres the plan. Tabitha, you and Freddy take one of Jamie's clones and pull an S15 on asile nine." Tabby and Fred nodded, and Jamie could see a hint of clear joy in their eyes. **

**"Toad, Short stuff, you guys disable the alarms. Pietro and I will handle the rest." Toad just nodded and added a "Ya, yo." for good taste, while Jamie on the other hand, darted his eyes around nervously. **

**"Hey, yo, calm your jets. We ain't gonna get caught." Todd reassured him as Tabby playfully pinched him to reveal a multiple. **

**"Alright...lets go!" She whispered, and the Brotherhood(and JUNIOR brotherhood) members all scattered to their assorted places. It was just a matter of time before their plan be taken into action. **

**"So um...how do I do this?" Jamie asked, staring at Todd disabling the alarms. **

**Todd's hand slippd at the voice. **

**"Um, well...just, pull some wires yo, it don't matter which ones." **

**"Are you sure?" **

**"Positive." **

**Jamie shrugged and looked at the bundle of wires before him. He couldn't pull the red...red had always been his favorite color. Blue was Bobby's favorite color. There was a silver wire, a white wire, and a brown wire left. Silver was too expensive to pull...and white was too plain. So he'd pull the brown. **

**"NO!" Todd whispered urgently as he reached down to pull the brown. "Anything but the brown, blue, silver, and WHITE, yo!" **

**Jamie put his hand on the red one. **

**"This one?" **

**Todd nodded and stood up casually. **

**"Just pull it and our job is DONE, yo." **

**Jamie nodded and yanked the wire, causing a small smark. **

**"Good..now lets go wait at the car, man." **

**_While that small peice of lovliness was being held, at the same time, ruckus was being made in asile nine._ **

**Tabby and Fred smirked as they finally caught up with Jamie's small multiple. He was in the candy section, big surprise. **

**"Hey KID." Tabby changed her voice to gruff and full of attitude, as she strutted up and turned the twelve year old around. **

**"Give us all your money, kid. NOW." **

**The multiple gave them the wide eyes of a child, and backed up slightly. **

**"N-no...GO AWAY!" **

**Fred squinted his eyes and stepped forward as the Jamie stepped back. **

**"Don't mess with us, kid, just give us your MONEY." **

**Crashing hard against a shelf, and making some of the food fall to the ground with a dozen thuds, the multiple darted his eyes around for help. **

**"SOMEONE HELP!" **

**That received a wack in the head, courtesy of Tabitha. **

**"Hey kid, shut up!" **

**And the kid shut up. **

**But not before an aged worker, about 40 or so, appeared behind them. **

**"Is there a problem here?" She asked, looking from Fred and Tabby to a frightened looking Jamie. **

**"Yah..." Tabby started slowly. "Yah, there is a problem here. That little pipsqeak..." She jerked her thumb towards the multiple. "Won't give us his money!" **

**The grocery store employee stared at her, blinking. **

**"E-excuse me?" **

**Tabby glared back. **

**"You heard me. So are you gonna arrest him, or what?" **

**"Perhaps you should come with me..." **

**Tabby immediately threw up her gaurd. **

**"I'M not going anywhere." And daintily punched the woman square in the nose. **

**"Young lady!" **

**"OH my gosh!" **

**"What IS the meaning of this?!" **

**A crowd of shoppers who happened to witness the last part of the incident crowded around the fourty year old woman. **

**"She...she tried to ROB this poor, innocent KID!" Tabby exclaimed, forcing tears into her eyes. "Of all the nerve!" **

**The people around her, a steadily growing group, all nodded in agreement to her, shouting things like, "You tell her!" and "Right on!" There was even a "You GO girl!" shouted through the crowd, which happened to be said by a small elderly man in a motorized shopping cart. **

**The multiple in question caught on quickly. **

**"Can I have my money back, miss?" He asked, poking the fallen (and unconsiece) woman with his shoe. **

**There was a gust of wind through the crowd, and everyone shivered. Nobody ever thought the gust of wind was two teenage boys and a shopping cart, grabbing anything they could off the shelves. **

**"Here, kid." Tabby reched into the pocket of the woman and pulled out a wad of bills. "Is this how much you had?" **

**Sniffing and rubbing his eyes pitifully, the multiple nodded. **

**"That's my money, all right. I've been saving that up for MONTHS." **

**There was a chorus of "aww"s throughout the group as Tabby handed the multiple the wad of bills, and, for effect, him hugging her around her torso. **

**"Meet out at Lance's jeep, give him that money." She whispered softly and urgently to him. **

**The multiple nodded. **

**"Thank you." His voice was soft and sweet, like a small angel's would be. Than he ran off torwards the door and exited. **

**"We need more people like YOU in the world, young lady." The small elderly man in the motorized shopping cart commented before handing her a five dollar bill "for her troubles". The others around him nodded in agreement and each handed her a dollar bill, whether it be a five, one, or ten she was not sure. **

**"Thank you, THANK you, I don't deserve this, well, actually I do, THANK you..." **

**The crowd dispersed, and Tabby felt a strong gust of wind through the already open automatic doors. **

**"Let's go, Freddy." She grinned, linking her arm through his as they left the supermarket, an applause following them. **

**Reaching Lance's jeep, she grinned to see the rest of the group sitting lazily, looking bored. "What took you so long?" Pietro asked, examining his perfectly shaped nails (they always happened to just...stay that way) with a bored look on his face. **

**"Well," she grabbed the multiple by the arm and swung him around in a dance. "This GENIOUS helped us get MULAH as well as grub!" **

**The multiple held out a large wad of bills, as did Tabby. **

**"Way to GO!" Jamie cried out in a happy voice, giving his multiple an approving look. **

**Lance could only stare at the wad of bills in amazement, as could Pietro. When he finally spoke, he looked at Jamie, his face expressionless. **

**"Well," His tone was unreadable. "I hate to tell you this, kid, but..." **

**Jamie, his multiple, Tabby, Fred, Todd, and Pietro all leaned forward with wide eyes. **

**"...YOU'RE PART OF THE BROTHERHOOD!" The cheers echoed through the parking lot of Dixie's Grocers. Jamie was part of the team. **

**"He's been gone a long time, Professor." Scott murmered, his hands on his hips as he stood in the Professor's office, pacing, sitting, pacing some more. **

**"Just calm down, Scott, he will come back." Despite the Professor's calm words, he too, had a look of distress shadowing his face. **

**"What are we gonna do?" Scott started pacing again. "What if someone hits him?" **

**Professor Xavier pursed his lips and pressed his hands together, surveying Scott. **

**"Scott, why don't you visit the elementery school?" Casting a glance at the clock on the wall, he continued. "It is almost time for them to be released." **

**Scott stopped pacing and stared at the Professor as the idea dawned on him. **

**"Alright, Professor, I'll check it out." **

**And he exited the office. Walking along the red carpet down the hall, Scott barely payed attention to anyone that passed him. This had never happened before, no one had ever just gone...MISSING. **

**"Hey Kurt, wanna come for a joyride?" **

**Kurt, who had been lounging on the chandeleir, ported down and fell into step beside Scott, all the while turning on his holowatch. **

**"Vhere are ve going?" He asked, hopping into the passangers seat without a care or worry. **

**Scott started up the engine and turned out of the drive through the gate before answering. **

**"The elementery school." **

**Kurt stared at him with interest. **

**"Vhy...?"He asked, before it dawned on him. "To see if multiple is zare?" **

**Scott nodded and sighed. **

**"I'm just...worried, you know? What if he's somewhere, hurt, and we don't know it? You know the Professot can't find people if they're hurt..." **

**A two fingered hand on his shoulder. Scott looked up. Kurt was looking sympatheticly at him. **

**"Scott, I vould just stop vorrying. He's probably fine." He grinned. "Maybe he just vent out for a burger. I've been in zat hospital ward, you should see ze food Ororo tries to make your stomach digest! It's painful!" **

**Scott managed a small smile at Kurt's attempts. What is they didn't find him...and someone found out his mutant power? What if he was locked up somewhere, helpless, unable to escape... **

**_STOP it Scott._ He ordered himself. _You're overreacting again. Kurt's probably right. _**

**He parked his car carefully, a small ways away from where children got picked up. A ways away, there was a beeping sound over the large speakers sticking out of the walls, (probably for those who had gym that last period). A stream of kids automatically burst from the doors of the school, and Scott decided that he wouldn't be surprised if the whole wall crumbled that very moment. There were so many kids...how would he ever find the one he was looking for? **

**"He blends vell, ja?" Kurt's voice interrupted his thoughts, bringing him with a disturbing bump back to painful realtity. Nodding, he stared into the crowd once again, spotting a group of kids. One of the kids was Jamie. **

**"Over there!" Scott grabbed Kurt's shoulder and pointed to the group of kids. **

**"Vell, should ve...talk to him?" Kurt asked as Scott fixed his glasses nervously. **

**They had no chance, though, because as they were talking, Jamie bid goodbye to the group and parted slightly, jogging easily while wearing his not very full backpack, with a destination. Scott's eyes focused on the jeep he hopped into before they drove off with a loud schreech. **

**"Alvers..."He groaned angerly, and Kurt just looked surprised. **

**"Multiple...joined...ze brotherhood?" **

**Scott shifted the car and backed it out as fast as the law could allow. Zooming through the street, he turned to Kurt. **

**"The professor will fix this." **

**"But Professor..." **

**Professor Xavier fiddled with a pen on his desk, somehow managing not to scream at the stares Logan, Jean, Ororo, and Scott were giving him. **

**"I am just saying, Scott, that we cannot force Jamie to come back. He has to do it on his own." **

**Logan pointed to Scott. **

**"For once, I agree with Shades. I think we should force the little runt to come back. Theres no way he's gunna be better off stayin' with a lot like that, you gotta thinka your OPTIONS." **

**Jean and Ororo nodded at this statement, but Professor Xavier still held his ground. **

**"There are other ways in getting him to return to us besides force. He will see soon enough that perhaps the Brotherhood is not the place for him..." **

**"What about his parents?" Ororo interrupted. "They think he is resigning here. Charles I beg to reconsider." **

**Professor Xavier shook his head. "According to what I have traced, his mother has no idea that Jamie had ever come here to begin with, and his father did not either. They both assumed that had run away." **

**Everyone in the room simply blinked. **

**"So I suppose we just wait." Jean geussed, biting her lip. "Well, common, it's dinner time." **

**A/N: I hope you liked it and remember I need at least two reviews to continue**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 5_ **

**Thud, thud, thud. Jamie bounced the basketball against the pavement, watching Lance with an excited gleam in his eye. Scott never would have played with him. But now that he was with the brotherhood, he could forget about the neglect from his peers he had recieved from his fellow X men...NO...fellow EX-X men... **

**"Shoot it Jamie! It's a perfect shot!" Jamie could almost hear Lance grinning as his voice broke into his thoughts. He looked to the ragged old hoop Lance and him were useing and cringed when the memory of the tall, shiny basketball hoop at the Xavier institute came into view in his mind. **

**"You think I can make it, Lance?" He asked questionably, forgetting about the game and looking up at Lance from the back of the court. "I think it's too far...I don't even think Michael Jordon could make THIS shot..." **

**"Mike's a rookie compared to you, short stuff." Lance laughed, giving him a thumbs up and motioning towards the basket with a game show heir. Jamie grinned and blushed, not used to being encouraged so much, and finding it was a nice feeling. He picked up the ball and stole a look at Lance, who was grinning maniacally in his direction. Upon seeing this he put an identical grin on his face and shot, squinting his eyes shut and crossing his fingers it got in. **

**"WOOOHHOOOOO!!! Jamie! Numba ONE! YAH!" Lance's cries confirmed it. Jamie opened his eyes. "You got it in, Jamie, you got it in! That was amazing! Better than some high schoolers! Wow! That was awesome!" **

**"Can people in the NBA do that?" Jamie asked, now forgetting the game altogether. **

**"There are people in the NBA that can't!" **

**"You mean-" Jamie's eyes widened."I could be in the NBA?" **

**Lance nodded, an amused but encourageing smile plastered on his face. **

**"Wow...noones ever told me that before..." Jamie walked towards the basketball and picked it up, slowly turning it around in his hands and stareing at it, as though all the secrets of the world lay in the small, orange ball. "I always wanted to be a basketball player, but everyone always told me I was too small." **

**The smile vanished from Lance's face as he walked over and put his arm around the younger kid's shoulders, pulling him close in a big brother fashion. **

**"Dude, your only too small if you believe you are. As...someone...used to say, you're not a loser if you fall, you're a loser if you let yourself stay fallen." **

**Jamie smiled up at Lance with admiration in his eyes, but Lance was too far gone on his encouragement to notice. **

**"If you want to be a basketball player, you gotta practice! And who's gonna help you practice?!" **

**Jamie grinned, then pretended to look confused. **

**"I dunno...who?" **

**Lance grabbed the ball away from the smaller boy and shot it into the basket, missing completely, but flashing him a victory grin and examining his nails in a narcissist fashion just for effect. **

**"ME!" **

**"HEY!" A voice shouted. The shadow of Pietro overlapped Lance and Jamie's. "How's a guy supposed to get any sleep when you ideots are playing basketball in the middle of the night?!" **

**Lance and Jamie both crossed their arms and raised an eyebrow identically at Pietro. **

**"Considering it's only nine o'clock, smart one, I beg to differ. Plus, I'm training a future MBA champion!" Lance grinned his familiar grin and put his arm on Jamie's shoulder proudly. **

**"Dude," Pietro sighed, and shook his head at them. "You guys are so pathetic. You could NEVER beat me in a game!" **

**The two cast glances at each other confidently. **

**"You're on!" They shouted in unison. **

**"One more game..." Lance panted, holding the ball under his arm. After twenty four games of basketball, and six hours of playing, Lance and Jamie were royally and undoubtedly on the biggest losing streak of either of their lives. **

**"Man, you're no competition." Pietro grabbed the ball and twirled it expertly on his indexfinger. "Too easy!" **

**Jamie, who was also breathing rather hard, straitened his back to make him taller as he looked up at Pietro. **

**"I have an idea." **

**Lance, catching on, helf out his hand for a high five, and Jamie slapped it with no hesitation. At that moment, seven multiples poured out from Jamie onto the basketball court, to the eyes of a staring Pietro. **

**"Oooh..." He muttered. "Sounds like a CHALLENGE..." **

**The ball bounced pathetically down onto the grass as the final shot was scored. By Pietro. **

**"He...won...AGAIN..." Lance breathed, practically screaming in frustration. **

**"I...can't...beleive...it!" Jamie also breathed as his multiples merged back into him slowly, though not nearly as frustrated as Lance. All in good fun was his motto. **

**"Thirty six games of playing...nine hours...and he won them ALL..." **

**Jamie just shook his head. **

**"Well, we'll just have to beat him next time." Lance concluded as Pietro walked smugly back inside the Brotherhood house. **

**"Well, looks like WE'RE not gunna get any sleep tonight, so how about some cofee?" Lance pulled the keys to his jeep out of his pocket, dangling them in front of Jamie. **

**"Sure!" Jamie gasped, happy to go anywhere with Lance. **

**"Boston played an important role in the turning points of the revolutionary war. In 1773, two events marked Boston as risk takers. Can anyone name those events for me?" **

**Jamie's eyes drooped as he slumped down further into his seat. The teachers ramblings went in one of his ears, and slipped rather gracefully out the other. Usually he was very interested in History. The sound of Mrs.Sanderson talking grew foggy, and Jamie's mind took a turn as all the background noises he had just been listening to became out of focus... **

**"Jamie, why don't you indulge us?" **

**His eyes immediately flying open, Jamie stared up at the face of his must-have-been one hundred year old history teacher. **

**Her teeth are crooked. He noticed as he stared up at her in total surprise. **

**"Wha...What?" **

**Mrs.Sanderson tapped Jamie's closed textbook with her rather long, fake index finger nail. Her stench wafted in his direction, reminding him of how hungry he was by giving the scent of chocolate. **

**"Answer the question, Mr. Madrox." She ordered, not moving from where she was standing beside his desk. **

**Jamie stared up at her once again. **

**"Um...what was the question?" He asked as scattered giggles echoed through the room, courtesy of his classmates. **

**"Perhaps you should go to the Principal's office for the rest of the period, Jamie. It appears you've had a rough night." **

**Jamie just nodded silently and picked up his notebook and textbook, and walked from the room to the front office. **

**"Shouldn't you be in class?" A deep, youthful voice questioned behind him. **

**_Oh no..._Jamie thought to himself. _Mr. Reegan._ **

**"Uh, no..." He muttered, trying to escape the wrath of the teacher. **

**"Where are you supposed to be then, Jamie?" Mr. Reegan's voice was happy and non-judgemental, so Jamie turned and hung his head in shame. Linking his hands together behind his back, he stated sadly, **

**"I fell asleep in class..." **

**Mr.Reegan stared at him, blinking, then signalled for him to wait a moment. Moving quickly, he searched through a drawer in the secretary's desk, then came back around with a brown folder, the name "Madrox, Jamie" inprinted on the tab. **

**"Have a seat, Mr. Madrox." He all but ordered, gesturing to the unoccupied seat next to him. Jamie sat nervously. **

**"Uh, Mr. Reegan..." Jamie started, but was cut off by the twenty six year old english teacher. **

**"JAMIE! Call me Sam, Mr.Reegan is my father's name. It makes me feel like an old fart." **

**Despite himself, Jamie grinned and let out one small laugh. **

**"Well, um...Sam, I was supposed to go to the principal's office..." **

**Sam waved him off carelessly. **

**"We can fix that, I've got it under control. Let's see now...it says here you came in the MIDDLE of the year?" **

**Jamie just nodded mutely. **

**"And, were you by any chance...UPSET by this move?" **

**Jamie this time shook his head with no sound. **

**"Aha," Mr. Reegan let out, finally realizing perhaps he was going to be doing all the talking. "So you are staying at Charles Xavier's school...interesting, very very interesting..." **

**With blank eyes, Jamie stared at him. **

**This is worst than Prinicpal Johnstone...He thought to himself. **

**"...your sleeping patterns, Jamie?" Sam was saying, unaware that he had, for the moment, lost the boys intrigue. "What about my sleeping patterns, Mr...Sam?" Jamie asked, looking confused. **

**"What are your sleeping patterns, Jamie?" **

**Jamie shrugged. **

**"I was up studying last night." **

**Sam didn't look convinced, but after a few seconds of giving Jamie a penetrating stare, he stood up. **

**"Well, I'll write you a pass to the nurse's office, and you can..." He winked. "Catch some z's if you know what I'm saying." **

**Even at this surprising uncoolness, which was not expected from such a young teacher, Jamie nodded and smiled. **

**"Thanks, Sam." **

**Lance drove his jeep past all of the pateintly waiting parents in the elementery school parking lot. Why wait in that HUGE line, when you can just pick up your kid and dash? **

**It was kind of hard getting use to that fact that Jamie was, indeed, HIS kid. There was no adult to help him in raising, and that was what made having his kid so great. No adult around to screw up his plan. **

**Searching the crowd of kids expectantly, Lance grinned as he spotted Jamie. He parked his car in one of the closest spots possible and got out, walking sneakily torwards the spot where his kid stood. Who knew he would become infatuated with girls so quickly. **

**Okay, so maybe Jamie wasn't INFATUATED with girls. But girls were sure infatuated with him! **

**"Um...hi Sarah..." Lance heard Jamie mumble as a girl hitched herself onto his arm. **

**"Hiiiii Jamie!" The girl twittered back, unfased by his seemingly mutinous attitude torwards her. Jamie pulled his arm away from the girl, named Sarah, blushing. **

**"So um...Jamie, you wanna do something tonight?" Sarah asked, once again attaching herself to Jamie. He shook his head. **

**"It's a school night, Sarah..." **

**That's when Lance chose to reveal himself from the shadows. **

**"JAMIE! Who cares about school nights?" He said casually, as though spying on small elementery schoolers was an everyday hobby of his. "You two should cruise the town, get some coffee, see a movie, stay out late. Isn't that what life is all about?" **

**Jamie stared at him in disbeleif, while the bouncing Sarah nodded and squealed in delight. **

**"EXACTLY!" She cried. **

**Lance formed his fingers in a gun shape and pointed it at her, clicking his tongue in the process of "shooting". **

**"I like your style, kid. You sure know how to pick 'em, short stuff! Common, we gotta go. I gotta date tonite with Kitty-kat." **

**Jamie smiled shyly and nodded, waving to Sarah as he left. **

**"I'll CALL you!" She yelled happily as they walked away. **

**Rrrrriiiinnnnngggg...rrrrriiiiinnnnngggg... **

**"I'LL GET IT!" Tabby screeched obnoxiously as she flew down the stairs with surprisingly graceful stealth. **

**"Hello?" She answered seductively. "You have reached...oh Jamie, hold on. SHOOOORRRTTTTT STTUUUUUUUUUUUFFFF!" **

**Jamie bounded down the stairs, though not as gracefully as Tabby as he was going down too fast to control himself as he crashed his shoulder against the wall. Four or so multiples came out, grumbling about, "clumsy ideots" and such. **

**"Is it for me?" The original Jamie asked, walking up to Tabby with an apolegetic grin. **

**Tabby just rolled her eyes and handed him the phone, ruffling his hair in the process. **

**"Uh, hello?" He asked curiously, shushing his multiples. "Oh hi Sarah." **

**Lance coincedentally raced into the hall at that exact moment, holding a bottle of water and grinning his head off. **

**"The mall? Um..." Jamie stifled a laugh at Lance's convulsive nodding, and tried to hide his increased blushing. "Sure. " **

**There was silence for a minute as Jamie listened, and then stared at Lance for a moment, before breaking into a happy grin. **

**"Yeah, of COURSE my big brother can drive. He'd be happy to!" **

**Lance spit the water that was in his mouth onto the hardwood floor in surprise, then grinning himself. Did Jamie just call him his big brother? **

**Then he'd just have to act like a big brother. But how did big brothers act? He'd never had one himself. Never really been one either, besides to Todd. But Todd was differant. Jamie was differant. He was differant. **

**As Jamie hung up the phone, Lance felt like hugging the small boy. Was that what big brothers did? **

**Who knows. **

**"Sooooo...Jamie..." Lance asked, the grin never fading from his face. "Ready for your first date?" **

**"First DATE?!" A high pitched voice sqealed from the kitchen. "Did I just hear something about a first date?" **

**Tabby appeared in the doorway, looking flustered as she pulled Jamie into a vigorus hug, than held him out at arms length. **

**"We have to get you ready, you have to be cool, calm. Why didn't anyone tell ME about this?" **

**In unison, the two in question shrugged. **

**"Well," Tabby continued, seemingly not caring. "Now that I DO know, we have to make you PERFECT!" **

**"Oh god, whats she doin' now, yo?" Todd asked with a groan as he walked in the door from Detention. ("It wasn't my fault!" He complained earlier.) **

**"I'm getting Short Stuff ready for his FIRST DATE!" Tabby stated matter-of-factly, signalling for Jamie to hold his arms out and twirl around so she could examine his posture. **

**Todd just stared in shock, then jumped forward eagerly. "Hey yo, I wanna help!" **

**"You can do one of the multiples." Tabby agreed slyly. **

**This seemed to work out all for the best in Todd's point of veiw, so everyone was happy as Tabby dragged Jamie upstairs to her unknown tomb (Mystique's lair), and Todd settled a multiple in the living room for a "pep talk". Lance just looked confused for a moment and shook his head, chuckling as he walked up the stairs to find Pietro. This was going to be a loooooong night. **

**"There! Now you'll look GREAT for the girls!" Tabby exclaimed as she stepped back to examine her, (and Pietro's) work. About a second after Tabby announced for people to leave her alone because she was working with Jamie for his first date, Pietro zoomed in and wanted to help. Not taking no for an answer, he was, indeed, a help. **

**They had situated Jamie finally with a sort of sportsy look. It consisted of: an old pair of jeans (baggy, with holes in the knees, courtesy of Pietro), a red and white basketball jersey (courtesy of pietro, white t-shirt worn underneath courtesy of Lance). **

**"It's cold outside!" He argued. "You have to wear something underneath that." **

**And so settled the white t-shirt. Tabby then grabbed a red hat of Pietro's, inscribed, (by himself) "Quicksilver" in silver letters, and plopped it backwards on his head. **

**"Check it out!" Tabby swooned, admiring her work. **

**"We did good." Pietro, too, was impressed. "I'm such a great fashion consultant." **

**The two high fived and waved as Lance and Jamie pulled out of the driveway. **

**"Sooo..." Lance started as they drove. "First date, eh? She'll be droolin' over you in a heartbeat!" **

**Jamie blushed, but said nothing as they pulled into Sarah's driveway and she came running out. **

**"Wuh...I...h-hi, Jamie..." She stuttered as she slipped into the backseat beside him. "I-I'm glad you could come tonight, Jamie..." Sarah finished, practically falling over in the seat. **

**"We just have to pick up Kitty, and then we're off to the mall!" **

**Jamie sunk back into his seat. **

**"Kitty's...coming?" **

**Lance nodded, and said no more of it as they drove down the private lane leading to the xavier institute. Kitty, of course, was waiting at the door, and jumped in as soon as Lance slowed down enough. **

**"Hey kiddies." She giggled, obviously on a full sugar rush. "How ya like, doin tonight?" **

**They nodded, and Kitty took a closer look at both of them. **

**"Like, Jamie? Is that like, you?" **

**Jamie nodded, pulling the hat down in front of his eyes as much as it could go. **

**He knew what was coming next. **

**"Like, Jamie! The professor would be like, spinning in his WHEELCHAIR if he found out you were like, going OUT!" **

**Sarah stared at Kitty with confusion. **

**"What Professor?" She asked, glancing looks at Jamie, than to Kitty, then to Lance. **

**Jamie looked Kitty in the eyes in a determined manner, than turned to Sarah. **

**"I have no clue what Professor she's talking about." **

**Kitty gasped and her eyes widened as she turned around, most likely to talk to Lance about what she had just heard. **

**The mall was just a few blocks away, and it was very crowded. Most of the parking spaces near the actual mall were taken, so Lance indulged them all by making a very exciting trip up to the empty top of the parking garage. **

**"Well um...bye Lance!" Jamie called as Sarah dragged him inside the mall. His eyes darkened as he looked at Kitty, and he turned away abruptly, being swallowed up by the mall. **

**Kitty turned and glared daggers at Lance as soon as they had dissapeared. **

**"LANCE! How could you let him DO this?!" She asked him hotly, looking up into his eyes. **

**Lance leaned against his car casually and examined the mirror. **

**"What? Kitty I think he's old enough to go on a date..." **

**With steam practically leaking from her ears, Kitty leaned up against the car next to him. **

**"Lance, what if someone like, bumps into him?! Why do you think the Professor didn't let him GO ANYWHERE?!" **

**Realization and panic dawned on Lance's face about a quarter of a second after Kitty stated this should-have-been-known fact. **

**"We...we gotta go find 'em!" **

**"Look Jamie! There's Adam and everyone!" Sarah called out to them and dragged Jamie over to their group of friends rougly, causing Jamie to gulp and cross his fingers. **

**"Heeey Adam! Hey Alan! Hey Andrew! Hey Allison! Hey Ashley! Hey Angela! Hey Andrea!" Sarah greeted as her and Jamie aproached the group of A's. It wasn't B's, it was A's. If you asked the A crowd what they got on their report card, it wasn't, "Oh nothing, a couple of B's, a C here or there..." it was, "Strait A's again!" **

**"Oh, like, HEY Sarah, HEY...Jamie?" Angela stared and blinked. "You look..." **

**"Nice duds!" Adam complimented, him wearing the exact same as Jamie, as he held his hand out for a high five. Almost forgetting about his mutant power for a split second, Jamie raised his hand also, but was stopped the moment before the hands touched by a shrill, **

**"JAMIE!" From across the mall. **

**"Hey Jamie, look, it's your big brother and his date!" Sarah mused waving at them excitedly. Jamie, on the other hand, gasped and realized what they wanted. They want to take me home, He thought icily. I don't want to go home yet, I just got here! **

**"Common Sarah, um, let's go into the..uh...STORE!" He said hurridly as Lance and Kitty ran torwards them. **

**"Hey guys, can like, we come?" Allison cut in, following them. **

**"Maybe another time, Allison." Sarah answered for Jamie as they sped away. "We're on a date!" **

**There were gasps and excited squeals following that remark, and even a hoot that sounded like a "YA JAMIE!" from Alan as they ran. **

**"Where are we going, Jamie?" Sarah's cries of delight made his head pound as they ran. **

**"Uh...uh..." He pondered. Where to go? "The PAYPHONES!" He yelled, grabbing her hand and pulling her with him as they ran into the small hallway reserved just for bathrooms and payphones. **

**"They won't find us here..." He gasped, tired from running. Sarah was positively beaming. **

**"You are SO fun to be around..." She marvelled, leaning against the wall beside him. **

**They stood there, just breathing for a few minutes. Neither of them noticed a large group of people exit the bathroom, coming strait torwards them, feeling no mercy. **

**"Ugh!" Jamie cried as a heavyset man pushed past him, knocking him into the wall as the group dissapeared. Three multiples fell beside him. **

**"Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Sarah screamed loudly, taking a step back. "There's four of you!" **

**The scream echoed in the small hallway, probably being heard halfway throughout the mall. **

**"Shhh!" Jamie pleaded, grabbing her hands with one hand and covering her mouth with the other."Please don't scream." **

**Sarah gently pulled Jamie's hand away from her mouth, but kept his other on her hand. **

**"W-what are you?" She asked, staring at him with large, frightened eyes. **

**Jamie looked down shamefully. **

**"I'm...a mutant. I'm not supposed to go to public places, because of my power. Whenever someone hits me, or I hit something solid, more of me appear." **

**Her eyes darted from him, to his three multiples, then back to Jamie. He closed his eyes and hung his head, waiting for her to start shooting insults at him. **

**"That is...SO COOL! I wanna be a MUTANT! I mean..." But Sarah's sentence was cut off by the call of Lance and Kitty in front of them. Kitty had phased them through the wall. **

**"Jamie!" Lance stood in front of Sarah, blocking her veiw of him. "How could you be so stupid! YOU knew what your restrictions were, and you LET me forget! You did it on PURPOSE! Do you WANT to get discovered?!" **

**Jamie shook his head and looked downcast. **

**"No, I didn't mean it...It's just...when I was with...THEM," He pointed to Kitty, as though accusing her of something. "I never got to do anything normal...I never got to BE normal. I thought, maybe for once, now that I was with you guys, maybe...you'd let me be a regular kid." **

**Lance opened his mouth to start ranting once again, but Jamie interrupted him, now crossing his arms like a stubborn child. It was then that Lance was reminded...he WAS a stubborn child. **

**"But NO, I was WRONG to think you were DIFFERANT. You're all the same. Every single one of you. Sure, you guys don't have the fancy equipment and the BIG house, but as much as you try to deny it, you're EXACTLY like them!" **

**Lance widened his eyes, speechless. Was this true? Did he sound like...Q Ball? Or worst...Summers? **

**Taking Sarah's hand in his, Jamie walked past Lance and Kitty back into the mall. And Lance made no move to stop him. **

**"So he's NOT your big brother?" Sarah asked cautiously, as her and Jamie walked on the side of the highway. A small tear had somehow managed to free itself from Jamie's watery eyes, but in the dark, he hoped Sarah couldn't see. Inside he felt like sobbing but outside he was tough. Or at least, as tough as he could manage himself to be in the pitch blackness. **

**"No..."Jamie answered back guiltily. "I don't have a big brother." **

**He could feel Sarah snuggling up to his side as they walked through the cold, March night air. **

**"Well thats okay." She said, trying to cheer him up. "Big brothers are dumb, I know, I have one!" **

**Jamie's face cracked into a small smile **

**"Yeah. But I have to face him sooner or later. Might as well be later." **

**Sarah nodded next to him. **

**"Later's always better!" And then giggled as they approached her house. **

**"Well, bye Sarah. Thanks for listening." **

**"Bye Jamie, thanks for talking!" She laughed at her own joke. "I hope everything turns out okay, for you and all. Bye!" **

**A semi-deep voice inside yelled, **

**"Hey sis, is that you?" **

**And Sarah smiled and yelled back, **

**"Yah, bro, it's me!" Before closing the door. **

**Jamie started for what he was seriously doubting as home once again. **

**It took a half of an hour, but Jamie finally found where the brotherhood house resided on the street. A clump of bushes blocked it if you were looking from far away, he realized. Lance was still not home, Jamie realized with releif. Tabby was in the kitchen, and Todd and Fred were watching "Monster Trucks...Releived" on ABC. Jamie decided he didn't want to know about the monster trucks and walked glumly into the kitchen to keep Tabby company. **

**"Hey, Short Stuff!" Tabby said enthusiastically as she stirred some sort of mixture in a bowl. "Makin' a cake, wanna help?" **

**Jamie nodded and gave a small smile, but Tabby saw past it in an instant. **

**"Hey whats wrong?" She asked, sitting beside him on the old, rickety table. Jamie sighed and tried to hold back his tears, explaining in the best way he could. **

**"Lance...yelled at me." **

**Tabby gasped. **

**"About WHAT?!" **

**Despite his best efforts, a few tears fell from his eyes as he explained. **

**"I wasn't supposed to be going to places like..the...mall because of my p-power and Lance...forgot and I took advantage of it." More tears came down as let out a sob. "I wish I wasn't a mutant!" **

**Feeling arms around him, he looked up to see Tabby hugging him. **

**"Jamie-wamie! Short stuff, getta holda yourself, you're gunna make me cry! Now, what happened on your DATE?" She rocked him back and fourth slowly. **

**"I...me and Sarah..." **

**"Sarah and I." **

**"Sarah and I met some friends but then...Lance realized that I...wasn't supposed to be in there 'causea Kitty and so he came in to get me...and I ran away from them..." **

**He paused to take a deep breath. **

**"And so, me...Sarah and I were hiding in the hallway with the pay phones and... and... someone bumped into me and now Sarah knows I'm a mutant...then Lance came and YELLED at me...so me and...Sarah and I walked home." **

**Tabby stopped rocking him and pulled him back so she could look at him. **

**"There! All dry! Now, common, we'll talk while we're making my FABULOUS cake!" **

**Both Jamie and her jumped down from the table (making it wobble profusely) and get the incrediants to make the frosting of the cake. **

**"So..." Tabby asked, pouring the cream into a mesuring cup. "Where ya from, kid?" **

**Jamie sighed and cracked an egg into the bowl they were using. **

**"Rhode Island." **

**"With your mom and dad?" **

**He shook his head. **

**"I lived with my dad, but I could tell he didn't care about me at all. My mom's in AFRICA..." At this point he sounded excited, but it toned down to confusion. "...I think." **

**Tabby looked downcast. **

**"I know how that feels." She sighed, but was immediately cheered by the sound of another egg cracking. **

**"Don't be SAD, Tabby! We have a CAKE to bake!" **


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter 6_ **

**After the talk with Tabitha, Jamie was beginning to feel a small bit better...espessially after the chocolate cake they made! Of course, as soon as Blob smelled cake he immediately gobbled down at least half, but it was no mind to them...that's what they made it for. **

**Lance did not come home until the small hours of morning, which scared the small boy. Peeking out his bedroom door as Lance aproached, he noticed his ruffled hair, as though he had been gripping it in rage, and the shade of red his eyes had become, from what Jamie hoped was not from crying. If it was crying, he would feel...guilty. **

**At seven A.M Jamie packed up his school supplies into his backpack. It would be a long walk, but walking was better than driving with an angry Lance, he concluded sadly. Now that Lance was mad at him, was he going to get kicked out of the Brotherhood? Todd didn't seem mad at him, and neither did Fred. Tabby seemed to like him more, and Pietro complimented the amount of sugar he used in the frosting. He opened the door slowly, cringing at the creeks it made, but slipped out when there was enough room for him to squeeze. There were sounds coming from the kitchen, like cups clinking together and muffled whispers. Sneaking slowly against the wall, Jamie peeked into the kitchen with interest. **

**"Whee...funfunfun, alwayslovethecoffeecoffeecoffee!" The whispers were rushed and quick, and Jamie recognized them as Pietro's voice. **

**"Pietro?" Jamie whispered, moving into the kitchen with caution. **

**Pietro looked up, hiding three cups behind his back. **

**"Oh shortstuffitsyou!" He grinned, and held out the cups. **

**"DonttellLanceIstolehiscoffee!" **

**Jamie nodded and moved torwards the door in the kitchen. **

**"Whereyagoin?" Pietro asked, quicksilvering in front of him. **

**"School." **

**"Why soearly?" **

**Trying to get around Pietro would not work in this situation...he was much too fast. Sighing, Jamie finally decided to tell the truth of the matter. **

**"Lance is...mad at me. I'm walking." And again, he tried to push past Pietro. No such luck. **

**"Icanhelpyouwiththat!" **

**Jamie took his into mind. **

**"How?" **

**"Commonjustgetonmybackit'llbetherideofthecentery!" **

**Nodding, Jamie jumped onto Pietro's back and they sped off. **

**Tabby walked grogilly down the stairs of the brotherhood house, dragging her feet considerably at she forced herself into a chair when se entered the kitchen. Fully dressed and showered, being awake was not an option at this moment in time. **

**"Morning, Pietro." She muttered, pouring a bowl of cereal with one hand and adding milk with the other. "You're up early." **

**Pietro just nodded energetically and grinned at her, but the grin toned down a bit when Lance entered the room. **

**"Hiya morninLanciepoo!" Pietro giggled, standing up and zooming to the cofee maker. "Wantsomecoffee? Imade it esspessiallyforyou!" **

**Shooting Pietro strange looks, Lance sat down at the table and took the coffee, taking a small sip and swallowing with dificulty. **

**"Pietro! This is NOT my coffee!" He growled in a grouchy voice, shoving the coffee cup back at Pietro in a fit of temper. "Where's MY coffee?" **

**Pietro just shrugged and, grinning, quicksilvered out of the room. **

**"HEY, SHORT STUFF, TOAD, BLOB ITS MORNING!" Tabby yelled shrilly, knowing that the occupants upstairs heard her. There was the sound of wood creaking as Pietro made another quicksilver entrance in the kitchen. **

**"Short Stuff's not here." He said casually, leaning against the molding of the door and examining his nails. "Igavehim a ridetoschool." **

**"You don't have a car." Lance pointed out, his face growing red. **

**"Oh, don't worry your cutelittleheadoffLanciedoll! We ran!" And then he quicksilvered out once again. **

**Tabby cleared her throat noticably. **

**"Do you think...he went to school early because he...didn't want to see you?" **

**Lance ran his hand through his already ruffled hair. **

**"I'll bet...he told you?" **

**Tabby nodded, crossing her arms defiantly. **

**"I...I didn't mean to get so mad..." Lance said, putting his hands in his pockets and averting his eyes to the worn, dusty floor, "I was just so worried that someone would hit him, or something, that I just...flipped. I was...going to apolgize to him this morning...but he already left." **

**"Lance...?" Tabby pried, reaching over and fixing his hair. **

**"What?" He answered back, slapping her hand away. "I was!" **

**"Laaaance...?" She pried again, reaching up and smoothing down his hair. **

**"I was...thinking about it." Lance admitted, letting her fix his hair best she could. **

**"And you're going to apoligise...?" **

**Lance sighed. **

**"After school. I promise." **

**"Hey Jamie!" A familiar voice called to him from the halls. "Wait up!" Jamie slowed down enough for Sarah to catch up to him. **

**"Hey, Sarah." He greeted, not stopping his quick pace to mathmatics. **

**"So um...Jamie, how'd the deal with your bro-i mean, how'd the deal with Lance go?" **

**Slowing down, Jamie concentrated on the floor. **

**"I...didn't get a chance to talk to him. I...think he's still mad at me." **

**Sarah slowed down her pace to match his. **

**"Well, since you know, you're being all, outgoing and stuff...there's a dance tonight, and I was um, wondering if you'd go with me. We'll be extra careful, no one will get close enough to make those other you's come out. I PROMISE." **

**Jamie smiled and nodded. **

**"Sure, Sarah, I'd love to go with you." **

**Sarah nodded. **

**"Jared, Jimmy, and Jake are getting together after school to get ready at Jimmy's massive wardrobe closet. They invited you! I'll see you at the dance!" **

**And she skipped away happily. **

**"Alright, alright, lets get down to buisness." Jimmy muttered, examining what he had to work with at the moment. Jared was a mess, (they had played softball in gym), Jake seemed paranoid out of his wits, and Jamie was pulled away from all the others. Jake was the only non-pathetic one of the group, besides Jimmy himself, of course. **

**First off was Jamie, the most pathetic of the lot. They situated him in the baggy jeans he was wearing tha day, along with a white muscle shirt and a orange hawaiian shirt over it. **

**"Wow!" Jamie exclaimed, examining himself in the mirror before turning abruptly, his eyes wide. "I almost forgot, I have to call my brother!" **

**The other boys gave him weird looks, but motioned torwards the phone freely while digging through Jimmy's closet. Nodding in appreciation, Jamie picked up the cordless phone and dialed the number to the brotherhood house without hesitation. The number has been imprinted into his mind long before. **

**Tabby's mock-seductove voice picked up on the other line. **

**"Hello, you have reached the Playboy magazine hotline, how many supscriptions would you like?" **

**Jamie grinned. **

**"Two subscriptions, please." He giggled, unable to hold it back any longer. Jared, Jimmy, and Jake each raised an eyebrow at him. **

**"JAMIE!" Holding the phone about two feet away from him, Tabby's voice vibrated the earpeice. "Jamie WHERE are you? I've been worried sick!" **

**"I'm at my friend Jimmy's house." Jamie answered once the mouth peice was once again close enough to talk into. "We're getting ready for the dance." **

**If the in Jamie's hand had exploded, it would not have caused as much noise as Tabby did at that moment. **

**"A DANCE?! Are you INSANE?! Any other time I would be happy for you but NOW?! Lance is already mad that he waited at the school, and now you're going to a dance, with people, who KNOWS what might..." **

**"Shhh!" Jamie spit into the phone as loud as he could over her screaming. Her voice quieted and there was silence, so he continued his rehearsed speech. "Sarah and I have it all planned out. We'll stay a little ways away from everybody, I swear. Don't worry. Well, Tabby, I gotta go!" **

**"No, Jamie wait..." Click. Tabby's voice echoed as Jamie hung up the phone, and turned to grin at his friends. **

**"She said yes." **

**Jamie walked into the dance with Jimmy, Jared, and Jake. They were the J crowd boys, as it had been since he had come to this school. The moment he entered the doors of Bayville Elementery, when he went over to a person and introduced himself, trying to make friends, they would not even stop what they were doing, but point to the closest J crowd member before heading on their way. The J crowd consisted of four boys, Jamie, Jared, Jake, and Jimmy, and four girls, Jessica, Jannette, Jenny, and Jaquoline. Jannette and Jaquoline were twins, and only ever talked to the J crowd girls. None of the J crowd guys could figure out why, so they just went with it. **

**Jamie was situated in a white sleeveless shirt(the collar was ripped, courtesy of Jimmy when Jamie admitted it was choking him), jeans that, although they were two sizes too large,(not saying that Jimmy was FAT, he was just...larger than all the other J crowd guys). Over the white sleeveless, he wore a short sleeved hawaiian overshirt, colored orange for individuality. Considering he was the J crowd member with the largest wardrobe, Jimmy had provided all the members with clothing. ("You gotta look cool," he admitted, touseling his own spiked hair as he contorted Jamie's into a similar fashion. "Chicks dig cool.") **

**Although his confidence of the situation had somehow overpowered his nervousness at the time that they had been getting ready for the dance, it immediately returned as soon as he stepped into the dark gym. **

**_What am I DOING here?_ He thought to himself as he was lead through the almost empty gym torwards a corner where Sarah and the rest of the J crowd waited. _I should be at the Brotherhood house, baking a cake with Tabby, while Lance and I talk out our differances. That's where I should be, not at a dance, where someone might hit me, and find out my powers..._ **

**"Jamie?" Jamie looked up into Sarah's hazel-green eyes, crested with curiosity. "Are you okay, Jamie?" **

**He nodded and pulled her somewhat away from the rest of the J crowd. **

**"I'm just...worried...about...you know..." **

**An odd smile crept onto Sarah's face as she gently grabbed his arm and pulled him torwards a large table piled with candy bars and sodas. **

**"Let's get some snacks, Jamie." **

**Jamie followed Sarah, smiling. Maybe this night wouldn't be so bad after all... **

**"SARAH!" A snobby female voice came from beside Sarah and Jamie. Two voices echoed the first, sounding appauled and just as equally snobby. **

**"Who is that you're WITH?" The voice continued, and Sarah turned around to examine the owner. Long, slender legs situated on a practically perfect body, with short, glittery blonde hair pulled back into a half ponytail. Wearing a short miniskirt and a scowl, Sasha Clulist stood in front of them, Sandy Fathin and Selina Elrond standing like loyal servents behind her. Sarah wasted no time showing off. **

**"This is Jamie Ma..." She started, but was cut off by Sasha's breathy, gloating tone once again. **

**"I KNOW who it is, Sarah." She interrupted in an almost frustrated voice, but her eyes looked surprised when she examined Jamie up and down. "What I want to know is WHY have you the sudden interest to ditch your OWN kind?" **

**"Your OWN kind!" Sandy and Selina echoed in unison, their eyes both holding identical looks of amazement. **

**Staring at the three, Sarah held tight to Jamie's arm. **

**"Own kind?" She wondered, although the answer was obvious. **

**"You used to be with us ALL the time, Sarah." Sasha stated dramatically, as her lemmings shook their heads in what was thought to look like sad dismay. "But then...you started hanging out with the J crowd! You abandoned the S crowd!" Pointing an accusing finger at Sarah, she shreiked the last statement with such a firey passion that nearby students standing by would inch closer to veiw the sudden commotion. **

**"S for SNOB, Sasha!" Sarah spat back, just as firey. "You and the rest of the S crowd are nothing but a bunch of self absorbed..." The crowd, now growing exceedingly large, gasped. "...Abercrombie and Fitch..." The crowd gasped again. "...rich anorexic NOBODIES!" The crowd let out a final gasp, then started murmering with approval at Sarah's thoughtful argument. **

**"I am NOT anorexic!" Sasha cried angerly, stepping closer to Sarah with her platform sandals threteningly. Sarah stepped forward also, her rage overpowering the immediate notice in size differance. **

**"Aha! I'm glad I found you, Jamie!" A cheerful male voice laughed behind Jamie as the two girls in front of him shot insults at each other like a western shootout. Jamie whirled around cautiously. **

**"Oh! Hi Sam." **

**Mr.Reegan save him a smile, and brushed away a hair from his eye. **

**"Now you're getting it. Well, Jamie, could I see you for a moment...in the hallway? It's less crowded there." **

**Jamie nodded and allowed himself to be lead out of the gym by Sam. **

**----------- ----------- **

**"...abandoning your friends! We were like FAMILY to you, Sarah!" **

**Sarah was beginning to get annoyed of Sasha's voice. Turning her head for a moment, she looked for Jamie. Jamie? **

**"Jamie!" She whispered, abruptly leaving the overreacting Sasha in her dust as she ran through the crowd, searching the whole while. "Jamie? Jamie? Oh no!" **

**Poking her head into the dark hallway, Sarah expected it to be empty. What she saw was that it was anything but. **

**"Jamie!" She cried, sighing with releif. "I'm SO glad I found..." **

**Five faces turned torwards her, four of them Jamie's plastered up against the wall. **

**"Uh oh..." Sarah whispered, stepping back slowly. "This CAN'T be good." **

**"So, Mr. Madrox." Sam growled mysteriously, a death grip never leaving Jamie's now somewhat purple arm. "Your little girlfriend knows your secret, too?" **

**Jamie let out a yelp as he was pulled roughly in front of Sam, and then both dissapeared into thin air. **

**"I-invisibility?" Sarah gasped in disbeleif, staring at the spot where Jamie and Sam had just a second before been. Her eyes noticed an envelope lying lonely on the floor, so, picking it up, she examined it. **

**"Professor Charles Xavier" was written in spidery red writing on the front, but no more details were given of the strange envelope. One multiple remained sprawled out on the hallway floor, and Sarah picked him up gently. **

**"Common! We gotta go give this to Lance." **

**Standing outside the Brotherhood house, the rain poured down upon Sarah's head. The multiple with her had walked with her in the rain the whole time, and showed her where the brotherhood house was. At the stairs, however, the multiple suddenly vanished from her wet, lonely side. **

**"Wait!" She called, and tears welled up in her eyes. "COME BACK! PLEASE!" **

**She walked up to the door cautiously, tears somehow running like a waterfall down her face as she looked for the doorbell. Finally, she resorted to knocking. **

**"Get the door, Tabby!" A voice that sounded like Lance's yelled from somewhere in the house. **

**"Get the door, Freddy!" A female voice yelled back. **

**"NO! Get the door Toad!" A deep voice rumbled from somewhere close to the door. **

**"FINE, YO! I'll get it!" A final voice reasoned, growing louder as it came closer to the door. It clicked open, revealing what a boy about age fifteen. **

**"Uh...I'd like to t-t-talk to L-Lance?" She stuttered out, sobbing. The boy that had opened the door yelled for Lance, who soon appeared. **

**"Who is it...?" He started gruffly, then saw Sarah standing there. "Sarah?" He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her small form inside out of the rain. He lead her into the kitchen where Tabby was, and sat her in a chair. **

**"Whats wrong, Sarah?" He asked, sitting in a chair parallel to hers. Tabby came and leaned forward against the backing of his chair, looking worried. **

**"Something happened, didn't it, Sarah?" She asked, pushing a cofee cup of hot chocolate torwards the girl. "Something happened at the dance, didn't it?" **

**"DANCE?!" Lance roared, standing up and cornering Tabby, the ground starting to shake underneath them. "WHAT DANCE?!" **

**Tabby cleared her throat and tried a soft, gentle approach. **

**"Lance...there was a dance tonight at the Elementery school, and, well...Jamie was asked, and he REALLY wanted to go...so..." The hardest part had come. "I let him." She said meekly, feeling the shaking of the ground increase underneath her. **

**"YOU...YOU...I CAN'T...HOW..." But in the time it had took him to get angry, he simmered down. "I..I'm sorry Tabby..." The ground grew calm. **

**"What happened Sarah?" Tabby asked, putting a hand on Lance's shoulder sympathetically. "Where's Jamie?" **

**Sarah's sobbing never ceased as she pulled out the somwhat soggy envelope and handed it to Lance. Reading who it was for, he ripped it open and read what was inside. **

**"They...it...TABBY!" He cried, looking on the verge of hysterics. Tabby grabbed the letter and read it hastily. **

**"THEY KIDNAPPED HIM! They're gunna put Jamie in the CIRCUS!" **

**-------- -------- **

**Jamie cried out as he was pushed roughly up a flight of stairs. **

**"HEY!" He cried, pushing on the hands confining him. "Ugh...lemmie go!" **

**A snakelike voice tickled the back of his neck as he hissed into Jamie's ear. **

**"Don't try it, freak. Before you could even get halfway down those stairs you'd have no head and one less leg to stand upon." **

**Immediately, his struggling stopped. **

**"W-where are you taking me?" He asked, his fear rising along with his panic. **

**The man behind Jamie just pushed him forward aggressively, not answering. After walking up many flights of stairs, they finally reached an open door revealing a large room set up as an office. A black leather chair was placed behind a rather ratty looking desk, making the chair look expensive and new. **

**"In there, and don't say a word." The the snake man ordered, shoving Jamie into the office room and slamming the door behind him. **

**Jamie stared around the room, frantically trying to plan a way out. Maybe the door was unlocked. Stupid idea, but perhaps. Racing torwards the door with surprising speed, he grabbed onto the doorknob and tried to turn it. Why had he thought it would be unlocked? **

**"Don't even bother, Jamie." A familiar deep voice said with amusement behind him. "Even if you DID get the door unlocked, you'd have quite a hard time getting past my gaurds." **

**The Rhode Island accent was so evident he could smell it. Turning around, Jamie stared at the man in the large, expensive leather chair. **

**"Why am I here...Dad?" **

**A/N: REVIEWSUPDATE**


	7. Chapter 7

-1_**Chapter7**_

**Face contorted still in a smirk of obvious amusement, Kevin Madrox leaned back in his custom made leather chair. Two loud bangs made Jamie start as the man propped his feet up on his desk in a relaxed, calm manner, and a click symbolised that someone had entered the room at the same moment. **

**"Kex...the truck's here." A deep, nervous sounding voice informed his father, and Jamie whirled around at the sound of the voice. **

**"Mr. Reegan!" He cried in panic, straining to run forward, but a large, strong hand on his shoudler restrained him. **

**"Good, Sam. Tell them we'll be right out. We just have to make a few...arrangements." Kevin said huskily, answering to his code name and blowing smoke from his newly lit ciggarette. Jamie tried not to cough. **

**"Yes sir." Sam whispered obediantly, casting a guilty glance at the two before exiting the dusty room. **

**Jamie's father stood up and walked around the ratty desk and stood in front of his son. After a surveying moment, he walked back behind his desk once again. **

**Kevin Madrox used to be good looking...almost movie star material. Then he turned old, wrinkled...alone. His hair was chocolate, with whisps of gray that stood out like chalk on cement. His brown eyes that had once been filled with life and longing had filled themselves now with dissaproval and shame. The tall, protective frame had shrunk down somehow, although he was still looming over any normal person. To Jamie, the man had not changed one single bit since the last and final time he had seen him...only three months before. **

**A sharp pain in his wrists kicked Jamie vioently out of his dream world with a "bang!" Looking down to find the source, he saw that his hands had now been tightly secured by a rope...a very scratchy, rough rope. **

**"Dad...?" Jamie tried for sympathy as his father took out a hankercheif to gag him. "Dad...?" **

**Not to his surprise, Kevin ignored him and stuffed the gag tightly in his mouth. **

**"Don't...make...a...sound." He growled a warning, emphasizing each syllable of every word more harshly then before. His eyes wide and frightened, Jamie nodded. **

**Kevin pushed him into a rickety wooden chair as he went about buisness around the practically empty room. Examining walls, once in a while kicking a spot on the wall and making a hole that revealed rats and cockeroaches. All the while he chose this time to talk to his son. **

**"A strange mutant gene indeed." He muttered almost unheard to Jamie, then raised his voice. "Perfect for what I'm looking for." **

**Figiting in the chair he had been placed in, Jamie averted his eyes elsewhere, so his father continued. **

**"You couldn't imagine my surprise when I found out you had received the mutant gene from your mother. Why do you think we separated? Nasty beings, mutants are. Horribly un-needed among society. Some people seem to enjoy them, though, and THAT, son, is why you are here." **

**Jamie couldn't help but pay attention now, leaning forward with anticipation and disbeleif to his father. **

**Not noticing in the slightest, Kevin continued. **

**"I was surprised...yes, very surprised indeed...to find the price of mutants growing gradually higher and higher. In the last three months, the price of mutants has grown from twelve hundred to a whopping twenty thousand. I thought to myself, well, don't I, Kevin Madrox, have a cute little mutant running around somewhere?" At this question, Kevin pinched Jamie's left cheek and looked down upon the boy with mock affection before turning back torwards the walls teeming with discusting creatures. **

**"Yes, I do. With the money I get from you, Jamie, heck, I could move out of the miniscule Island of Rhode and move to Vegas with a seaside mansion!" **

**With one final kick and a dozen high pitched squeaks from the wall he had broken, Jamie's father turned back to his son. **

**"I knew you'd understand. Now, we're just going on a little...what do you call it...oh yes. Road trip." **

**With that final statement out of his dry, smirking lips, Kevin roughly picked Jamie up from the chair and clasped his large, chapped hand tightly on Jamie's hands, before leading him forward out of the room. **

**"Okayso here'swhat we have todo." Pietro conluded to Tabby and Lance outside the Xavier institute's gates. The two listeners nodded their heads obediantly, Pietro clutching Jamie's worn out Teddy Bear,( dubbed "Jamie Jr." by Todd), close to his rabidly heaving chest. **

**"Speedy, Pietro, calm down. You're hypervenalating." Tabby pointed out, thumping the speed demon on his back in nothing but utmost care(otherwise, pretty darn hard). **

**"Now...this shouldn't be so hard." Lance continued for the heavil breathing Pietro. "We just...go in there, and...give Professor Xavier the letter. Right? Easy?" **

**Tabby, who had been rubbing Pietro's back comfortably, now looked up into Lance's face. **

**"What if they don't beleive us?" She asked, her voice dripping with worry and fear. The thought had also crossed the rock tumblers mind, obviously, because at this, his brow wrinkled in what could only be the highest level of determination. **

**"They're gunna HAVE to." The muttered, than reached out his hand, signalling for Tabby to move Pietro away from the gate. The ground tremered beneath them, and the gate, shaking and making a horrible ruckus, dropped to the ground on top of the spot where Tabby and Pietro had been standing. **

**"Uh...thanks Lance." Tabby managed in amazement, helping the fallen Pietro up and dusting him and Jamie Jr. off slowly. For once in his life, Pietro seemed not to care about his appearance, and he moved forward torwards the space where the gate had been with stiff legs. The fair skinned boy was breathing slowly and carefully, his breath coming out in small gusts, then going back in sharply. **

**"Common, just holdontome, get your feetoffthrground. I can make it past those security alarms so fast theywon'tknowwhathitthem!" **

**Lance and Tabby nodded silently, each holding on to one of Pietro's shoulder's and waiting for his signal. **

**"NOW!" Pietro said loudly, as Tabby and Lance both jumped to remove their feet from the ground. **

**If this time was any other time, perhaps Lance and Tabby could have enjoyed their experience a tad bit more than they did at the moment. If their distracted minds had not been so detained, the two would have been astounded at the speed they were moving. The wind whooshed past the three mutants like clouds past a plane, only one hundred times faster and oen hundred times more interesting. Sure enough, as they whizzed past the alarm systems Lance and Tabby knew so well, the expensive machines didn't even blink at their presence. In two seconds, Pietro had gotten them safely to the door of the Xavier institute, and now held Jamie's teddy bear ever closer to him, his face flushed, and his breathing labored. **

**"Great job, speedy!" Tabby congradulated him, but refrained from giving him the sisterly thump on the back she usually did, on account of his current condition. **

**"Well..." Lance sighed, starting up the steps, listening as Tabby and a coughing Pietro followed foot. "Do we uh...knock? Or just go in?" **

**Pietro, who was now leaning on Tabby, shook his head, as did the girl. **

**"I say we just go in." Tabby suggested, trying to get Pietro to stand strait. "I mean, they DO know us, after all. And I DID live here. Remember? So I should be able to walk right in. I could even show you where Baldie's office is if you like." **

**Lance looked to Pietro for support on the decision, but the speed demon had his eyes closed, and said nothing. Shaking his head, he opened the practically always unlocked door for Tabby and Pietro, then walking in himself. **

**"Lead the way, Tabby." **

**Tabby nodded and Pietro stood up on his own with difficulty. **

**"CommonTabby, let's hurry up. Thisplaceiscreepy and HUGE!" **

**Nodding again, Tabby waved them to follow her. Moving through a large, red carpeted hallway without being noticed, the three stopped suddenly at the sound of footsteps and humming around the corner. **

**"Its Jelly-Bean!" Tabby hissed urgently. "Where do we hide...where do we hide?!" **

**"YOU'RE supposed to know that, Tabby!" Lance argued back, as Jean turned the corner, humming "Oh Susanna" and reading a book at the same time. She wouldn't have noticed them, if Pietro, who had again started hypervenalilating in his panic, hadn't chose that time to collapse in an unconsious heap in front of her. **

**"Pietro!" Tabby cried, running also in front of Jean and examining the fallen Speedy. "Pietro wake up!" **

**Jean cried out in alarm, her book now on the floor, and stared at the three brotherhood members in confusion. **

**"Boom-Boom? Avalanche...Quicksilver?!" Jean too, bent down to check the white haired boy's pulse. "What do you want?!" **

**Tabby lugged Pietro to a slumped standing position and placed his arm around her shoulder to support his weight, and Lance doing the same. **

**"Look, Jeanie." Tabby started softly, surprising the girl. "That's only in uniform. Right now we're just Tabby, Lance, and Pietro. And we need YOUR help." **

**The telepath raised an eyebrow at the brotherhood members, but, placing her hand on her chin as though in thought, her look turned to curiosity. **

**"Well, okay then...follow me." She turned slowly around, and beckoned them on-ward. After snatching up Jamie Jr. from the ground, Lance, Tabby, and Pietro in between them, followed her. **

**"You've um...lost weight." Jean tried conversation as she walked with the brotherhood members to Professor Xavier's office. Snatching a glance at the two boys with Tabby, she immediately knew her conversation starter was definitely not the right beginning. They were all dangerously skinny...and it scared her. _Professor._ Jean called telepathically to Professor Xavier. _Yes, Jean?_ He answered back, although it was hesitant. That meant he already knew that the brotherhood was here. _You have visitors, I'm bringing them to your office._ _The brotherhood, Jean?_ Of course he knew, he was the Professor. He knew everything. _Yes. Boom-Boom, Avalanche, and Quicksilver, although Quicksilver is unconsious. I'm going to settle him in the living room with Scott before they come and tell you what they have to say. They're acting differant though...almost normal. Something must have happened._ **

**At the Professor's silence, she knew he felt the same. She lead them into the large living room, where Scott jumped up almost at once when he saw who entered behind her. **

**"Jean...?" He started, but Jean put her hand up to silence him. **

**"They're here for a meeting with the Professor. Quicksilver is unconsious, we need you to sit here and watch him until he wakes up." **

**"And when he does..." Tabby interrupted Jean. "Give him this." **

**With a perfectly strait face, the girl handed Jamie Jr. to Scott as Lance and Jean situated Pietro on the couch. **

**"Alright, common, the Professor's office is right around here." Jean guided, leading the two remaining brotherhood members through another doorway out the side. Scott, on the other hand, sat in a chair across from the couch where Pietro lay. Examining the teddy bear Tabby had handed him carefully, his mind clouded over in thought. **

_**Where have I seen this teddy bear before? It looks so familiar...**_

**"Come in." Professor Xavier allowed as their was a knock on his office door. The door clicked open, revealing Jean, followed by Tabitha and Lance, surprisingly not in uniform as he had thought. Jean stayed, and willed the two forward. **

**"I heard you wanted to see me?" He continued, wheeling his wheelchair around the desk so that he was standing in front of the two teens. **

**"Uh...well..." Lance tried, but couldn't get the words to move from his used-to-be ready tongue. Tabby immediately took spotlight. **

**"Okay, so this is what happened. Jamie is in the brotherhood and we're REALLY good parents but then he wanted to go to the mall so we let him but then we remembered and wanted to bring him home but then he got mad at us and wouldn't talk to us so then he wanted to go to a dance and I told him not to go but he did anyway and then his date to the dance gave us this 'cause she saw it happen!" This all said in one, very long, sentence, Tabby let out a breath and handed Professor Xavier the letter baring his name on the front. Cautiously, the old man took it and opened it, reading it over quickly once and then a second time to make sure he was reading it right. **

**"This is...upsetting." Professor Xavier managed meekly, folding up the letter and handing it to Jean, who also read it. **

**"We...we wanted to come and ask you to help us." Lance said, finally gaining his courage. "I mean, you are a telepath, so, you could find him...right?" **

**The Professor looked thoughtful for a moment, then chose to answer Lance's question in as careful a manner as possible. **

**"Please, be calm. I can only trace Multiple once he has used his powers. Until then, we have nothing." **

**Tabby sat down hard in a chair near her right, crossing her arms and looking tired. **

**"Well...we ain't leavin' 'till we get some...some answers!" **

**Although this was supposed to be a threat to the Xavier institute, and drive them to somehow make it so Jamie used his powers sooner than a week from the time they were there, **

**Professor Xavier smiled thoughtfully and raised an eyebrow. **

**"Is that so? Well then, Jean, please take..." **

**"Professor!" Scott interrupted, bursting into the room and practically tripping over Tabby's sprawled legs. "Professor, what's the problem?" **

**The Professor gave Scott a small glance, signalling he was explaining telepathically the situation. Soctt remained silent and leaned against the wall in shock. **

**"As I was saying, Jean, why don't you take Tabby and Lance to the geust rooms? It seems they've decided to stay." **

**"Move along! I said MOVE ALONG!" A harsh voice ordered behind Jamie, as he was lead to the back of a small line. His dawdling, or perhaps, his footsteps going slower than the workers of "Carinnan Family Circus" seemed to like, did not go unnoticed. "Move THIS one to the front of the line, Steve. It's a trouble-maker." The harsh voice commanded one of his fellows. **

**A large, muscled man grabbed the back of Jamie's shirt roughly, and pushed him forward. The many adults in the line of thirty mutants that Jamie was being lead down shook their heads at him sadly, whispering to each other, while some others, aged fifteen and up to twenty five, would just shade their faces and looked away in shame. **

**"Get up there, FREAK!" Another deeper, but equally harsh voice insulted, pushing Jamie forward sharply, but losing his grip. Jamie fell to the ground with a yell, landing hard on his shoulder and two multiples appeared on either side of him. The line gasped, some people backing away, others whispering in awe to anyone who would listen around them at the strange sight. **

**"Hey BOYS!" The one called Steve yelled mockingly. "Check out the DOOZY we've got here!" **

**The workers who had been doing other things around the man quickly gathered at his words, staring with amused smirks at the obviously terrified Jamie. One of the taller workers yanked Jamie to his feet unsympathetically, while some of the younger mutants in the line beside them watched in horror. **

**"So all you gotta do..."The tall one muttered, rubbing his unshaved chin as though thinking. "...is THIS!" Punching Jamie in the arm violently, four more multiples stood beside him, flinching at the pain and the echoing laughter following this action. His multiples absorbed back into him obediantly, obviously knowing that this was trouble, and trouble is one thing that they didn't want. Slowly, Jamie backed away from the group of large, sweaty men, only earning laughs. **

**"Hey, look, the little runt's tryin' to ESCAPE!" A rather scrawney, southern man chortled, pointing at Jamie's hurried retreat. Two overweight men noticed what the southerner was saying and marched forward, in no rush, each grabbing one of Jamie's arms. **

**"That's it." The man with the deep, harsh voice growled at him, sticking his finger centimeters from Jamie's chest. "This one gets the small cage. No exceptions. Get it out of my sight." **

**With the finally escaped tears, and surpressed sobs, Jamie was dragged away into the tent. **

**"Hey...hey kid...psssst!" A voice that sounded about 24 whispered through the dark, grabbing Jamie's attention. He WAS the only kid here...could the voice be talking to him? **

**"Yah, kid, YOU!" The voice whispered again, and Jamie turned his tear stained face to look for the source. His vision, although blurry, could see a shadow in the cage beside him through the black. **

**"Um...hi." Jamie mumbled, sniffing. His voice was hoarse from all the crying he had done in the past hour. **

**"Eh, me and my bud here's got a bet. We bet about your age. Now, I says, 'that kid, ain't really a kid, see, he's a spy' but my friend says 'no, that kids 14, 15' and so's we decided to ask yas. What's your age, kid?" **

**The atmosphere in the room filled with cages was heavy in silence, although there was no slumber to be had. All the occupants of the room sat, listening to every word they were saying. **

**"I...I...I..." Jamie tried to manage out the simple two digit number, but although the number kept flashing brightly through his head, the word would not come out. "I wanna go HOME!" **

**The words sprang out of Jamie's ready lips before he knew it, and recognised tears ran down his face again. There was the sound of clicking tongues, not only in the cage next to him, but also in scattered cages around the room. **

**"Yup, definitely a kid. Here's your earring back, Morty. So kid...why're ya here, if ya wanna be home? Everyone's here fer one reason er another." **

**Jamie just shook his head and bundled against the bars of his small cage without comment. He heard the man who was adressing him sigh and turn away to his cage-mate, muttering a phrase about "cryin' shames", before pulling out a guitar and strumming it uselessly. This sparked Jamie's interest. Sniffing, he cleared his throat. **

**"W-what can you play?" He asked quietly to the man only feet away from him, but unreachable. The smile of the man was clear, even through the darkness. **

**"Anythin', kid, I play anythin'." **

**Coughing slightly, Jamie stood up in his cage. The roof of it was only a foot above his head. **

**"W-why do they keep us here?" **

**The man shrugged and continued strumming his guitar mechanically, letting his hand swing daintily before answering. **

**"Because...this is where all the freaks are kept." **

**The evesdroppers around the two murmered in agreement, some sighing in dissapointment, but only Jamie could voice what they all were thinking at that moment. **

**"Than why do I have to be a...a...a FREAK?!" He spat the last word icily to the all whom he knew were listening. The guitar man, again, hesitated before answering. **

**"Because there ain't enough love ta go around." **

**Remaining silent, Jamie's confusion was evident. "There ain't enough love ta go around...and so they exclude the one thing no one will ever love." **

**Jamie leaned forward against his bars curiously. **

**"What?" He asked, although already knowing the clearly obvious answer. **

**"A freak." The guitar man strummed all the cords of his guitar calmly, as though this bothered him none. "They keep us in here, because...no one can ever love a freak." **


	8. Chapter 8

-1_**Chapter 8**_

**Although he had been put to sleep by the man(identifying himself as "Serenade") and his guitar, Jamie's dreams were still not peaceful. All the night he dreamed of laughter, his father and his "seaside mansion in Vegas". Sam and his large, "kind" eyes, deceiving him. He could trust no one. Lance, glaring at him, still mad at him. The brotherhood wouldn't come after him...they didn't want him back. No love for the freak. No one cared about the freak. **

_**Face it!**_** A voice slithered in the back of his mind while he slept, almost hypnotising.****_ Now your not just a FREAK, your a LONE freak. A lone mutated wolf. What would any pack want with YOU?!_ **

**Groaning in his sleep, Jamie tried to force the voice into silence, but he knew it was right. And it wouldn't go away. **

**The light woke him minutes later, still squirming about the voice's obvious suggestions. His eyes finally opened with difficulty, revealing the smiling face of Serenade staring at him through his own bars. **

**"Finally awake, sleepin' beauty?" He laughed, still strumming his guitar, still in the same place he had been the night before. **

_**Doesnt he sleep?**_** Jamie asked himself, but decided against asking the man himself. That would be rude. **

**Opening his mouth, Jamie started to ask Serenade what the time was, but was interrupted by a sudden hush in the voices that had been heard only seconds before. **

**"S-Serenade...?" Jamie started, but Serenade held his index finger up to his lips in a signal for silence. **

**"Good...good...good..." A deep voice was saying continually, passing by all the cages of now cheesy-smiling mutants. A man with deep black hair and a dazzling white frown, wearing a deep blue buisness suit and looking important, was examining inside all of the cages carefully. Stopping at Serenade's cage, the man could stand at his own height and chat with the seemingly favorite mutant of the man. **

**Bending down, the important looking man peered into Jamie's cage quickly before standing back up again. **

**"Which one is this?" He asked the carnies that were following him. Each of them shot glances at the cage, labeled "four". **

**Steve jumped forward. **

**"That one don't have a name, Mr. Porchelli, it's the new one." **

**The man, "Mr. Porchelli", crouched down so that he could look into Jamie's cage with ease. **

**"How old are you, freak?" **

**Jamie stared with wide eyes at Mr. Porchelli. **

**"I-I-I-I...t-t-t...um..." **

**Mr. Porchelli raised an eyebrow at the stuttering child amusingly, but Steve seemed angered by Jamie's actions. **

**"The man asked you a QUESTION!" He roared defensively, but Mr. Porchelli raised a hand for absolute silence. **

**"We'll call him Stutta." **

**Some of the tension that had grown from the cages around him released, but some still stayed. **

**"Now, Stutta, answer my question loud and clear." **

**Jamie let out a shaky sigh, and raised his bravery. **

**"Twelve. I'm twelve, almost thirteen!" He stated as boldly as he could, with a slight bit of annoyance staining his voice. Mr. Porchelli laughed. **

**"Now that's more like it! What's Stutta here do?" **

**Steve stepped forward again. **

**"We were thinkin' about testin' a new attraction out with little Stutta here." He held out a bag of marbles, and the tension in the room increased again. **

**Mr. Prochelli raised his quite active eyebrow, and reached inside the bag, pulling out a handful of foggy white marbles. **

**"Go ahead, Mr, Porchelli, have a shot." **

**The man shrugged and aimed the marble at Jamie, missing by a few feet at least. **

**"This is challenging..." He muttered, trying again. He missed six more times. **

**"Quick! More marbles, Steve!" He demanded, reaching in the bag excitedly for another handful of marbles. After two more shots, a marble connected with Jamie's shoulder, Two multiples squishing into him from either side. Mr. Prochelli broke down into loud, snorting laughter. **

**"That is merry, very merry!" **

**The tension again deceased from the room. **

**"Boys, get Stutta here a collar, pronto. Lead the others into the room as usual, then Stutta will join them." **

**The carnies nodded and assembled to their buisness. To his luck, of course, Jamie got Steve to put his "collar" on. **

**"Stand still, you little FREAK!" Steve muttered angerly at Jamie when he tried to latch the collar on the twelve year old. But when Jamie would not stop fighting, Steve finally had to call over another carnie to hold the boy down while he put the collar on...tightly. **

**"Get with the others now, you annoying little trouble maker." Steve ordered, pushing Jamie into a room filled with the other mutants. Many of them sent him guilty, somewhat sorry looks, others ignored him. **

**"There he is! There's Stutta!" A kind voice said behind him. Turning around, Jamie faced a...TALLER version of Serenade. **

_**He's almost as tall as Scott...**_** Jamie tried not to think to himself as he stared up at the twenty one year old. **

**"So, Stutta," Serenade laughed, making a motion to glomp Jamie on the back, than, thinkin again, settled for patting him lightly on the head. "Got a name already? Good kid, good kid." **

**An unrecognised man entered the room, holding a clipboard and looking busy. **

**"Stutta?" He called, and Jamie ignored him. "Stutta?" He called again, sounding annoyed. **

**"Stutta, that's you, kid!" Serenade pointed out, laughing. Jamie turned and walked up to the man in surprise. **

**"You Stutta?" The man asked gruffly, looking down at him. Jamie nodded. **

**"Acrobatics." **

**"Huh?" Jamie asked, not comprehending. **

**The man made an impateint noise in his nose. **

**"You. Doing acrobatics. Show tomarrow. Tent four. Go." **

**Jamie stared. **

**"N-no!" He said, only slightly bold. "I-I'm not gunna!" **

**There was a chorus of loud gasps from behind him, signalling that all in the room had heard what he said and dissaproved. **

**Sighing, the man slowly pulled out a strange looking remote control and pointed it at Jamie casually. **

**Another unision gasp escaped the crowd behind him, and out of the corner of his eye, Jamie saw people covering their eyes, and the eyes of those around him who's hands were tied behind their backs. **

**The man clicked a small knob on the remote to the third knotch, and pressed the large botton above it. **

**The moment his finger touched the round, purple button, Jamie's mind screamed _Pain, don't you get it, PAIN!_, and his hands clutched his forhead instinctively. Electricity ran through him like lightning, making him unable to move from the place he was in, unable to process thoughts. Perhaps he was screaming, if he was, he could not hear it. But as suddenly as the pain had come, it stopped, and Jamie fell to the ground, his legs limp, his head spinning wildly. **

**"Now I'll say this one more time. You. Tent four. NOW!" The last word said by the man came out as a harsh bark. **

**Jamie got weakly to his feet, receiving no help from any of those around him. At last on his shaky legs, Jamie fought wildly with himself to stand up strait. **

**"NO!" He yelled stubbornly, standing his ground. The man's eyes widened in what looked like amused shock, than his hand moved to the remote again, clicking the notch to five. **

**"Mikey, Mikey, yo yo! Hold up, man!" A voice yelled frantically behind Jamie, and Serenade stepped forward, standing in front of Jamie. "Mikey, wait up. He's only a kid, man. You can't give him the five." **

**The man, "Mikey", seemed enraged at this interruption. **

**"You better get outta my way, Serenade, and stop tellin' me what I can't do!" He bellowed angerly. "'Less you be wantin' the same fate as him!" **

**Serenade trembled and moved tentatively away from Jamie, breathing jaggedly and looking ashamed at his cowardly move. **

**Mikey pointed the remote at Jamie once again, and pushed the botton. **

**Bleep bleep bleep. Bleep bleep bleep. **

**"Could it be?" Professor Xavier wondered, fitting the Cerebro's helmet onto his head curiously. The screen maximized, showing exactly what he had been wanting to see. **

_**Name: Jamie Madrox, Age: 12, Power: Multiplication, Hair: Brown, Eyes: Blue. After all that, there was a note: Caution, extreme care necessary when handeling. Location: Searching.**_

**Bleep bleep._ Searching._ Bleep bleep. **

_**X-Men, Brotherhood, please assemble immediately to Cerebro.**_** The Professor announced telepathically. A minute after his announcement, Scott and Logan rushed into Cerebro. **

**"What's the Emergency, Professor?" Scott asked curiously, walking up behind the Professor, but his question was immediately answered when he saw the screen. **

**"So, you found the shrimp, eh? Where is he?" Logan too, came up and looked to the screen, only to see the dissapointing flashing "searching" where the location should have been. **

**Silence from the three followed as they waited for the rest to come. **

_**Searching.**_** Bleep bleep.****_ Searching._ Bleep bleep._ Searching._ Bleep... **

**A female voice rang from Cerebro. **

**"Location found: Beaumont, Texas." **

**Slowly, the rest of the X-Men and Brotherhood members filed into Cerebro. Professor Xavier wasted no time. **

**"Cerebro has informed me of Multiple's wearabouts." He said, waiting for the reaction he expected. It happened. **

**"Short Stuff was on Cerebro?!" Tabby screeched. "That means he was using his powers...what if they hurt him? I'll give them a peice of my..." **

**"Tabitha." Jean soothed, placing a hand on Tabby's arm. She grew silent, so Charles continued. **

**"Cerebro has informed me that Multiple is in Beaumont, Texas, situated at the Carinnan Family Circus..." The X-Men and Brotherhood stared at him cluelessly, so Charles finished."...famous for its mutant show." **

**Despite themselves, all in the room gasped. **

**"We have to go get him! Bring him back!" Pietro volenteered, stepping forward in a determined manner. THe rest of the Brotherhood nodded behind him, and the X-Men nodded beside them. **

**"You must know." Professor Xavier warned. "That...mutant shows, or..." He hesitated, before continuing. "...freak shows, as some may call them, are heavily gaurded, and many a time brainwashing. This will not be easy." **

**"Gemmie anotha cold towel, HURRY!" **

**There was a shuffle of feet at this command. **

**"Stutta...Stutta...common Stutta..." **

**Jamie heard the voice...but so far off. How could he possibly find it in all this fog? **

**"Where's the towel?!" Serenade yelled frantically. "This kid's burnin' up!" **

**Another shuffling of feet, a cold towel on Jamie's heated forhead. **

**"Ya couldn't do nothin', Serenade. Stutta got what was comin' to him." A helping mutant, Stretchy, comforted while Jamie mumbled feverishly to himself, obviously hallucinating in his troubled sleep. **

**"Stretchy, common! Ya can't tell me ya don't feel guilty about...well, just that kid BEIN' here! Kids ain't supposed to be in FREAK shows...they're supposed to be in school, fallin' asleep in class and playin'...aww what is it...well anyway, action figures." Stretchy sighed. **

**"Ya well, we're just freaks. He ain't a regular kid, he's a freak. We ain't just regular guys, we're freaks. There ain't nothin' we can do about it. This kid's gotta know that!" **

**Serenade nodded reluctantly. **

**"Yah but...I sure hope someone comes to get him. Cryin' shames, livin' your life in a freak show. Espessially, startin' young." **

**Stretchy patted Serenade's arm in an understanding, brotherly manner. **

**"Hey, when Stutta wakes up, tell him ol' Stretchy says hello, ya hear?" Serenade nodded and waved as Stretchy stalked off, and he leaned against the wall beside Jamie, staring down at the stirring boy. **

**"You really got yourself in a jam, you know that, kid?" **

**As though hearing him, Jamie let out a few non-understandable phrases before growing silent again. Serenade reached over and held his hand an inch from the boy's forhead. Radiating pulsing heat. **

**He'd be well enough to learn tomarrow...after they had a talk. **

**Jamie ran a hand across his sweating forhead, shivering convulsively. For the whole night he had been stirring, his mind filled with hallucinations and colorful dreams. When he had finally awakened, the temperature around him, and his body temperature were rapidly going through a constant battle with each other. The temperature outside was warm, and his body sweat with the heat, but his mind convinced him that it was cold, and so he shivered to keep warm. **

**It wasn't until he had been awake for an hour, sitting in the dark of the early hours, that Serenade nervously approached his cage from his own, staring hard through his own bars, and past Jamie's. **

**"Stutta." He said gently, and Jamie looked up into the older boy's face, wrapping his arms around himself in the process. Serenade continued talking, knowing now that he had the boy's attention. **

**"Look...I...I know you only been here a few days, kid, and in that time, I...I feel a certain need to protect ya. And I tried, but...but I ain't always gunna be there." His voice cracked slightly. "Tomorrow you gonna be all by yourself, just you and your wrangler. I ain't gonna be there to stop em' when you mess up." Choking out a laugh, the boy sniffed back a tear that was threatening to fall. **

**"You gotta know..." Serenade continued, adding anger to his voice. "These guys don't show no mercy!" He slammed his fist hard against the dirt. "You gotta know where you stand, Stutta, and make sure they KNOW you know. You gotta pretend like you ain't carin' what they're doin to ya." Serenade's voice cracked again, and he covered his eyes, in fear that Jamie would see the tears that fell from them. **

**"I...I just don't wanna see you get hurt..." He concluded, leaning close to the bars so to be heard by the other boy. "Like...like you did yesterday." **

**Serenade stuck his hand out through the gap between the bars, and held it out to Jamie. With a grateful smile, Jamie gently put his hand into his, too weak to notice the notable size difference. In that position, the two fell asleep peacefully for a few hours more rest. **

**A/N: 1 REVIEW IS ONE STEP CLOSER A UPDATE ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

-1_**Chapter 9**_

**A visit from Mr. Porchelli in the morning was expected, but not looked forward to. As he had the day before, the man walked briskly through the lines of cages, peering in to make sure every mutant was smiling fakely. **

**"I am NOT in a good mood, not in a good mood AT all. Hm, good...good, good." **

**The voice got steadily closer to Jamie's cage, and immediately stopped as soon as it got there. **

**"Smile, Stutta, I don't like to see my freaks unhappy." **

**Jamie remained motionless, shivering pathetically. Mr.Porchelli frowned. **

**"Steve." He requested, sounding distant and far-off. "Open Stutta's cage." **

**Steve walked forward anxiously and opened the cage, his hands trembling in anticipation. **

**"Now, Stutta, I want to see you smile." Mr. Porchelli ordered, chuckling at the noticable size differant between the two, but his laughter immediately stopped when Jamie did nothing. With the speed of a coppersnake Mr.Porchelli's strong hand was clasped around Jamie's small neck, easily lifting him off of the ground. **

**"SMILE!" **

**Kicking his legs uselessly and reaching his hands up to try and pry the hand away from his neck, Jamie took in small breaths, choking miserably. Not for a moment did he show signs of a smile. **

**"I don't like seeing my freaks unhappy." Mr.Porchelli said through clenched teeth, digging his nails into the back of Jamie's neck. "Because you know, Stutta...when my FREAKS are unhappy, it makes ME unhappy. And you don't want to see me unhappy...DO YOU?" **

**Mr.Porcelli tightened his hold on Jamie's neck, making the boy gasp and choke. **

**"Mr.Porchelli..." Serenade's voice was heard behind the two. Mr.Porchelli turned his head at the other mutant in surprise. **

**"Serenade?" The older man asked in surprise, furrowing his eyebrows angerly. Serenade tooked taken aback by this look, but he continued. **

**"Mr.Porchelli, he can't breathe!" **

**Mr.Porchelli stared at Serenade, and, noticing the worry that was almost carefully hidden in the mutant's face, darted his eyes from Jamie, to Serenade, back to Jamie, than back to Serenade while smirking. **

**"Serenade..."He said mockingly, throwing a gasping Jamie aside into a very unhappy Steve, leaving two multiples for the other carnies to catch. The older man clicked his tongue at Serenade, as though dissapointed. "Serenade...I would have at least thought you'd go for men perhaps even CLOSE to your age." **

**Serenade had the darkness of a scowl on his face, but managed a half of a smile, complete with half of a frown. **

**"STEVE!" Mr.Porchelli yelled in amusement, turning away from Serenade's cage. "Steve?" **

**Another carnie was standing where Steve had been, holding Jamie. There was the sound of curses, struggling, and then Steve's voice, "Coming boss!" **

**Steve emerged from behind a maze of cages, holding two fighting Jamies by their collars. **

**"I had ta do a little PEST control." He joked, laughing stupidly at his own statement. Mr.Porchelli let out a small guffaw at Steve, but stayed on his own buisness. **

**"Steve. These two..." He pointed to Jamie, the only one left at that moment (the other two had phased back into him), and then to Serenade, now glowering obviously at Mr.Porchelli. "These two are getting close. I don't like it when my freaks get close. It practically SPELLS mutiny! Move Stutta to the west, and alert his wrangler immediately to have him punished severely." With an evil smile, Mr.Porchelli pinched Jamie's cheek. "You can thank your buddy Serenade for that." **

**Jamie glared as he was pushed off by Steve to the west wing. **

**"Oh yes, Serenade." Mr.Porchelli added before he followed them. "You'll be pleased to know that your little friend Stutta has Dave... you remember right? YOUR old wrangler!" **

**The words echoed in Serenade's mind, frightening him. Old wrangler, old wrangler, old wrangler. **

**Stutta was given his old wrangler? He must have been...nineteen when he had that wrangler. It had been the worst five months of his entire time at the circus, if not his entire life. He shuddered and clutched his guitar tightly as the reoccurring memories freely flowed through him, and he closed his eyes, trying to send them to the secluded space at the back of his mind he kept everything he didn't want to deal with. **

**Unfortunately, it didn't work this time. He doubted it ever worked. Somehow, someway, the thoughts and memories he tried to put there came back to him, like a blow to the head, when he least expected it. With reluctance he let the haunting experience sweep over him, almost as though he were living it all over again. **

_**The dark, musty room was silent and eerie as the new mutant waited for his wrangler, seething with anger and embarrassment. How dare they call him a freak? How dare they attach a collar to him, like some worthless animal? He was no animal. He was no freak! **_

_**Staring around at the room he had been forced into, he realized it was colorful, and not as dark as he had thought. Struggling to stand, he noticed a few random circus items he had not noticed on his entrance; piles of flame torches in the corner, a chest of colorful clothing to the side, a rack of masks in the opposite corner. To his left, a miraculous looking chest of drawers. Being nineteen and incredibly curious, Jack Singer walked slowly up to the chest, a scowl inhabiting his face when he saw most of the drawers were accompanied with built in locks. **_

_**All but the first one. **_

_**Smirking with the coincidence of the situation, he swiftly and softly pulled open the large, long drawer, cringing as it gave a large creak, breaking the heavy, almost tense, silence. Peering into the drawer, Jack glanced at its contents and nearly cried out with glee. A guitar! A wonderful, solid, tuned, ready and waiting guitar! It seemed as though it had been placed there for his convenience, almost like they could guess his actions and knew he would look there. **_

_**With a grin lighting up his handsome features, he struck a few cords on the instrument, savoring the feel of it resting in his arms, the cool, smooth wood sending a shudder of pleasure searing through his body. Music was like a drug to him. He lived off it, reaching out and snatching every chord, every note, every measure he possibly could, feeding off rhythms and beats, drinking soprano, alto, and tenor. What he would do without his music, he need not know. He would get somewhere with it, and it would carry him there. **_

_**" WHAT ARE YOU DOIN', BOY?" An angry, thundering voice cut into his thoughts, causing him to jump and swing around, his usually calm features distorted into what looked like alarmed shock. **_

_**" I was just lookin' mista." He said in a loud, trembling voice, his heavy Brooklyn accent getting the better of his speech. **_

_**" Well, you ain't supposed to be lookin', FREAK! You supposed to be TRAININ'!" The man moved closer, towering over him and making him feel as though he were an ant on a picnic basket; unwanted, unneeded, something to be squashed and laughed at. **_

_**" I ain't a freak!" He said this statement confidently, though not quite believing it himself. "And I ain't trainin' for NOTHIN!" **_

_**The man laughed, a hearty, deep, evil sounding laughter that filled the room and seemed to bounce off the walls, coming strait back to them and shaking the ground with its mockery. It was obvious the man found him incredibly amusing, though for what, he simply could not tell. **_

_**As suddenly as it had started, the laughter was gone, leaving the atmosphere with a sense of emptiness, as though it were now too pure for its own good. As though to fill the emptiness, the man suddenly and swiftly grabbed his collar and slammed him up against the chest of drawers, his face just centimeters away from the mutant's. **_

_**" You ain't trainin for nothin'? Well, that's funny, we got you down for music. You gonna work here, and you gonna work here well, you got me? I don't care if I gotta beat it into you, FREAK, you'll do it! Understand?" **_

_**Jack said nothing, the reality of what had just been said still sinking into his mind and shocking him into silence. **_

_**" UNDERSTAND?!" The man yelled angrily, slamming him against the chest once more, a shadow of a smirk appearing on his face as he heard a faint crack from his victim's back. "ANSWER ME, FREAK!" **_

_**Jack still said nothing, his mouth in a thin line and his eyes unfocused. For a moment he said not a word, simply staring off into space while his new wrangler looked slightly confused, before he turned back to him and stated, firm as he could when being threatened, **_

_**" I ain't a freak, and I ain't doin' nuttin' for the likes a' you." **_

_**This appeared to enrage the wrangler, as his face turned an unnatural shade of purple and his hand, which had been by his side through previous events, clenched into a fist and twitched convulsively, as though having an inner battle with itself. **_

_**In the end, the evil side of the hand won over, and the fist landed, hard, into Jack's nose. Face now red with fury, the angry wrangler moved to raise his fist again, but was stopped by Jack, who swiftly and easily caught it in his hand, jerking it backward and grimaced when he heard a snap. Maneuvering so that he was face to face with the wrangler, simply inches from his face, Jack started to sing softly, his breath barely touching the face of the shocked wrangler. **_

_**" Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound" **_

_**At the sound of the strong, vibrant voice, the man's eyelids drooped slowly, and his grip on Jack loosening considerably. **_

_**"That saved a wretch like me." **_

_**The man's arms stayed pinning Jack against the chest of drawers, but Jack could sense a slight sway in his standing position, and his eyes were almost completely closed. **_

_**" I once was lost, but now am found." **_

_**At these words the man let his arms fall limply to his sides, visibly swaying as though about to fall over. His eyes were now completely shut, and if Jack had let out a breath he would have thundered to the ground, fast asleep. **_

_**"Was blind, but now I see." **_

_**With the last note of melody, the man slumped to the dirty, smudged ground, fast asleep and emitting loud snores. His eyes widening in panic at having used his powers in a bad way, Jack turned and prepared to run out of the tent, failing and tripping over the sleeping wrangler's large body, his head hitting the hard pavement and blackness engulfing him.**_

**Serenade shuddered as he remembered the consequences of that fateful day. He still had the ugly scars. His wrangler, the fore mentioned wrangler, had not been happy with him. He was a violent one, that Dave… too violent for his own good. He grimaced as he tried to force the pictures of his bruising and bloody punishment out of his mind. After that, he was a good mutant. He was a good freak. Not one toe out of line, not one pound off the balance. He knew the punishment if he did. Instead, he became everyone's favorite mutant, the one everyone could look up to. **

**His eyes clouded with worry and self hatred as he remembered those terrible days he had experienced, and the ones he hoped Stutta wouldn't have to experience in his place. Stutta was a bright one, brighter than most his age, but street smarts, attitude wise, he was anything but. Closing his eyes and strumming his guitar blankly, Serenade prayed Stutta wouldn't get himself into trouble. **

**Not like he did. **

**A large stomping sound was what awoke Jamie from his distracted fuming. How dare they separate him from Serenade? They would pay, alright, pay! **

**" On your feet, freak!" A heavy southern drawl ordered loudly, his rusty voice making Jamie angrier, but still forcing him to his feet. "Good. 'Least you does what you're told. Now there's only one reason ya coulda been sent ta me: you're a troublemakin' little freak. They tells me your violent, and stubborn as a mule. Well that's all gunna change now, ain't it..." He looked down at his clipboard. "Stutta?" **

**Jamie glared angerly at the figure in front of him, not answering. The man was large, but not "Scott" large, with a greasy looking stained t-shirt on underneath a dirty jean jacket. His pot belly stuck out considerably, making his mud-caked jeans look too tight for him. **

**The man looked enraged. **

**" You betta answer me, freak, or you'll have hell ta pay!" **

**Jamie stood still, unmoving and silent. His eyes widened, however, at the man's toned confidence. **

**" You don't answer, but I know you mean ta say it. That tongue a' yours got caught by a cat, and I intend to shoot it. A'fore I can do nothin', however, ya gotta get a picture. And ya know whatcha gotta do?" **

**Jamie gave the man a blank look, signalling that, even if he did know, he would not say so. **

**The man merely shrugged at this reaction. **

**" Yer gunna SMILE, freak. The photographer is gunna say 'smile', and dammit, freak, you better smile. I wanna hear folks COO when they look at THIS picture. Do you hear me? COO!" **

**Jamie nodded mutely and allowed himself to be roughly led into a room by the man. **

**" I'm Sir." The man allowed, pushing Jamie into a chair and standing in front of him. "Some folks like to call me Dave. You call me Dave and you won't be seein' daylight for a week. You got me, freak? It's Sir ta you." **

**Jamie opened his mouth to protest, but was stopped by the entering of the photographer. **

**" Let's get this OVER with." He mumbled, easily setting up the photography equipment in front of Jamie and then moving forward to examine his subject. **

**" Hm...hm...wonderful, wonderful, now..." The photogragher unfolded a tray table in front of Jamie. "Now, rest your elbow on here, just like that, and put your fist right here, underneath your eye, now look at that wall behind me, PERFECT." The photogragher walked backward to his camera and clicked a few pictures, then gathered his equipment up once again. **

**" I'll have these for you by tonight's show, Sir." He promised, before exiting. Sir looked Jamie over heavily before stepping back and grinning in an almost insane, evil manner. **

**" Now, Stutta, I'm gunna work you like you ain't neva been worked before." **

**" So...this is the circus?" Jean questioned, wrinkling her nose in obvious discust. The circus looked like a tent, from the outside, surrounded by many smaller tents, but once a person entered through the "tent" flaps, they could see that the "tent" was nothing more than a stadium covered in a tent. The concrete walls were colored red, and the floor that they walked upon (also concrete) was black, shining like a freshly polished eight ball upon the table. **

**" Yes, Jean, this is the circus. We must look for any signs of clues that Multiple is or could have stayed here." **

**The X-men/Brotherhood, upon coming to the circus, made up quite a large group throughout the line of waiters. The line swept far through the street, showing that this circus was, indeed, popular. **

**"Hey look, like, pictures!" Kitty exclaimed, pointing as they entered a red carpetted hallway. The black walls were coverered in rows and rows of framed pictures, each with a name written underneath it. **

**" Randler." Scott read, quirking an eyebrow. "Whale, Camalot, Serenade, Stretchy, Airhead...what...what is with these names?" **

**Wolverine examined the names and pictures. **

**" Seems here these people look pretty happy, if ya ask me." **

**Rogue gasped in front of them all in line, pointing. **

**" Look!" She said brethily, pointing numbly to a framed picture camoflaged amist the many. It was framed, like all the others, and if one had not been looking closely, one would never notice the striking resemblance the kid in the picture had with... **

**" Jamie!" Tabitha sqealed, running forward and touching the glass of the picture. "He's here! We found him!" **

**" Stutta?" Lance narrowed his eyes angerly, the ground trembling beneath them. "They called him STUTTA?! Why I outta..." **

**" Calm down, Rocky." Logan glared, roughly grabbing Lance's shoulder and breaking his concentration. Lance pulled away as though burnt, and pouted over to Pietro, who, although he was hiding it well, looked equally upset about the nickname that Jamie had been given. **

**"He looks...happy in that picture." Kitty pointed out, nudging Scott with her elbow. Indeed, Jamie did look, at first glance, delighted and slightly bored, his withstature free and easy. But, at second glance, his eyes looked pained, and a small bit frightened, his pose tense and forced. **

**With his arm comfortably around Lance's shoulders, Pietro's eyes darted hyperly to the headshots around Jamie's. At second glance, they too, looked troubled, perhaps...frightened. **

**"Common, move it, city trash!" A southerner in the line behind them yelled, sounding annoyed. And so the X-Men moved on, into the circus. **

**A/N :: A review is one step closer a update**


	10. Chapter 10

-1_**Chapter 10**_

**"Eiw, like, gross! There's gum on the bottom of my chair!" Kitty sqealed, jumping up from her seat and looking at it as though it was a three headed snake with posion fangs. **

**"Kitty..." Lance cooed, smirking. "Don't worry, it won't bite you unless you touch it." **

**This earned a playful thwap from Kitty, before she sat down once again, (although uneasily). **

**"Pennyforyourthoughts?" A quick paced voice asked beside him as a hand moved at an unnatural speed in front of his face, holding a small, copper penny. Lance's eyes darted to a smiling Pietro beside him. **

**"I don't like circuses." He admitted, grabbing the penny stealthily as the lights in the stadium dimmed. **

**"Shh, it's starting!" Pietro ordered, poking the people in front of him in the back of their heads. They turned and glared at him, mumbling about "damn yanks." **

**The crowd grew quiet as a man, age ranging about twenty four, walked into the middle of the three rings of circus, holding a guitar. Lance heard Scott, somewhere in the row of seats, mumble, "Serenade" under his breath, so it was obvious that Serenade was what the man's name was. In Serenade's arms, he held a guitar, which he started plucking a slow, medevil sounding tune upon. Along with the guitar, came a picallo from a far off corner, as he began chanting musically. **

**"In a time, long, long ago, when people fought dragons and many other feirce magical creatures like it was nothing, and princesses lay in towers, waiting to be rescued, there lived a knight. A night named Camalot." And the man walked aside, still playing his guitar quietly, as pair of men were shown on the first ring, wearing slightly medevil red and black clothing. **

**"Ah! Camalot!" A somewhat portly, aged around fourty, gentleman yelled gaily, playfully slapping Camalot on the back. Camalot returned the action. **

**"Good day, Randler, sir. What would you like me to do today?" **

**Randler opened his mouth to speak, but Camalot interrupted him quickly. **

**"Uh, one moment, Randler, sir. Stutta!" He turned and called the name, before facing Randler once again. "My assistant, you know. In just a moment..." **

**The X-men and Brotherhood all leaned forward anxiously in their seats when Jamie appeared in the ring beside Camalot, making the man start. **

**"Stutta! Don't...DO...that." The man said harshly, but continued in a cheerful voice. "Make a note." **

**Jamie, to the audiance seemingly unphased by the cruel treatement toward him, posed a quill above the surface of a peice of paper readily. **

**"Yes sir!" He cheered excitedly, waiting. **

**Randler listed a list of errands hastily, while Jamie scribbled them down and Camalot stared fixedly past the crowd. When Randler was finished, Camalot grabbed Jamie's arm fixedly and making a small wave in Randler/the crowd's direction. **

**"Come, Stutta, we've got much work to do!" The one called Camelot said, speeding faster than light from the arena and making the crowd gasp and slap their knees in wonderment. **

**Only The X-Men and Brotherhood lay unamused. Slowly, one by one, all the heads turned to Pietro, who was sitting, stricken, in his seat, his eyes wide and glassy with fear, and his hands turned a paper shade of white as they clenched hard on the armrests as though for dear life. **

**"Pietro!" Lance soothed, snatching up both of the boy's cold hands and sqeezing them between his in the way a father would. "Pietro, stay calm. We have to stay calm." **

**Still pale as a sheet, Pietro nodded mutely and relaxed a small bit, but still stayed tense throughout the following scenes. Many of the X-Men and Brotherhood joined him, too, as they watched the show, each set of eyes resting on a part of the show that reminded him or her of themselves and their powers. Sometimes the power similaries were uncanning. Other times, the similarities were small, but still eerily close. **

**It was not until, at least three scenes later, that Jamie spoke again. His mutant power had not yet been revealed to the audiance, owing to the fact that his character, it seemed, was just a small boy that followed around Camalot, the important knight. The scene was in the center ring, and many of the already introduced male characters were surrounding one unintroduced character, whom it seemed, had everyone engaged in a thrilling tale of his journey to fight the legendary Basilisk. Many were listening intently, others figiting, while Camalot, Jamie stuck like glue to his side, payed close attention at the man's left hand. **

**"I cornered the devil, I did. But just as I was about ta remove me glasses and soak him with me lazer vision, but then...he ate me." **

**There were scattered groans thoughout the crowd, one particularily coming from Randler. **

**"Ain't anybody got any true stories that they can tell?" He asked loudly, looking around at the many surrounding him. Only one small voice answered. **

**"I have one!" Jamie said, speaking up from his master's side. Camalot looked down at him in surprise and amusement. **

**"You have a story, Stutta? Well then...let's hear it." He crouched on his haunches, gestering to the middle of the circle they were standing on the outside of. **

**"Jamie looks so cute in that little errand boy outfit!" Tabby sqeaked to anyone listening, and to her surprise, there was many a murmer of hushed agreement beside and around her from fellow X-Men and Brotherhood members. **

**Jamie looked around at the group, turning around to look at all of them. A simply tune was playing in the backround from the guitar, signalling that, like all the other characters, his major time in the audiance's eye was musical. **

**"I have a story that will make you shudder, will make you envious and dry, see the way this story goes, theres a creature we all knows, if he looked at you than you would probably cry." **

**Jamie pulled out a toy wooden sword smugly, obviously noticing he had the attention of all the men of the crowd. **

**"This story begins with a moonlit pathway, with my old girlfriend Jezzabell..." **

**Gestering wildly with the sword, Jamie's voice rang out throughout the stadium like a tea pot on over boil, loud and attention grabbing. **

**"Then down from the sky he came, Known worldwide for his fame, Must've been a hundred feet that devil fell!" **

**The people in the crowd chattered curiously, watching Jamie as he held out his sword. **

**"And then, he came, flying strait at me! And then, I stood, so brave and tall! The dragon came, I beat him easily, And then there came a fleet of evil knights!" **

**The crowd gasped and leaned forward, staring as Jamie beckoned the semi circle around him closer. **

**"I didn't want to fight, but I was angry, I took my sword up with a yell, And in rows of five they came, All identically the same, I could barely tell which one of them had fell." **

**With the last word, Jamie tapped the sword hard but casually against his wrist, making five multiples appear beside him. Jamie faced one of them, holding his sword out as a challenge as the crowd could be heard clapping furiously. **

**"Engarde, shanty nave!" He insulted, clicking his wooden sword against that of the multiples. The multiple scowled at him. **

**"Fight like a man, scoundrel!" The multiple growled, pulling back his sword, but Jamie dodged out of the way and let another Multiple take his place in the match as he again stood in the middle of the semi circle, somewhat a ways off from the rest of his multiples. **

**"Ah...there was just, too many! They thought I'd retreat, well look and see... I'd beat them, any tenny, But somehow they thought that they could win just randomly." **

**Smiling as four of his multiples phased back into him, Jamie began a furious sword fight with his last remaining multiple, (a fight which contained quite alot of strange acrobatic twists, mind you), while the crowd behind him buzzed, whispering to each other. **

**"Stutta!" Camalot called, holding a large bag. "Stutta, come!" **

**His last Multiple inside him, Jamie scuttled again to the side of Camalot. **

**"Yes sir!" **

**The arena grew dark as intermission set in. **

**"And now, for intermission, the vocal stylings of...Serenade." A voice from nowhere stated excitedly. **

**All the X-men and Brotherhood stretched their arms and legs tiredly in their seats, all discussing the spectacle they had just witnessed. **

**"Scary...I'm just glad I'm here, and not there." Kitty whispered to Kurt shakily, clutching onto his arm. Pietro had settled himself far down into his seat, arms crossed and mumbling to himself, where as all the others would talk in quiet, somewhat shocked whispers. **

**Serenade was now standing in the front of the middle ring, looking expectant. The crowd quieted, and he strummed a few notes lifelessly, before actually making a slight tune and singing the first tune that popped into his head. **

**"The hiiills are aliivee, with the sound of muuuusic... With songs they have sung, for a thousand yeeeears..." **

**Just as suspected, the crowd began to grow limp, slouching down into their seats and closing their eyes slightly. **

**"The hiiills fill my heeeart, with the sound of muuusic... My heart wants to siiing every..." **

**His song was interrupted with the fact that the whole audiance had now fallen asleep. Mr.Porchelli came up behind Serenade, pulling earplugs out of his ears. **

**"Wonderful job, Serenade, wonderful. Now, Camelot, Stutta, everybody, let's collect these wallets! I want every single wallet from every single person in this bag!" He held out a shabby paper bag. **

**Jean quickly slipped her wallet out of her pocket and onto the floor under her seat. She had heard what the man had yelled, and it was obvious that Professor Xavier had too. But for now, they would pretend to sleep, and also pretend to have no money. **

**Jamie flinched as the cage door was closed behind him. The show had ended, and him, not being in the ending scene, had been forced back to his cage. It was then, siting there twiddling his thumbs absentmindedly, that he heard Mr.Porchelli in the next room, yelling irritably into a cell phone. **

**"WHAT?! Oh yes! Serenade will be gone by tonight! Yes sir, Mr.Kex, pleasure doing buisness with you!" **

**Mr.Kex? Where had Jamie heard that name before? Mr.Kex, Mr.Kex, Mr.Kex...as hard as he tried, Jamie could not wrack his brain hard enough to remember the strange, familar sounding name. He had bigger problems to deal with. Serenade was being taken away tonight? They wouldn't...he couldnt! **

**"Kex is coming tonight, I don't want any screw ups. This is our biggest costomer, our biggest emplyer! Nothing can go wrong!" **

**To Jamie's surprise, Mr.Porcehlli turned to his cage when he said this, looking him in the eyes with a narrow glare. **

**"That means you," He gripped the bars of Jamie's cage, glowering into the small space and making the light seemingly dissapear. "That means YOU, Stutta, have to be OUT of the picture." **

**After standing up, Mr.Porchelli continued to speak. **

**"I don't like freaks like you, Stutta. I don't tolerate troublemakers in my freakshow. If you're a troublemaker..." He punched his left palm with his right fist in an example. "Bam. Let's just say it's not a pretty picture. I don't understand freaks like you, Stutta. Every guy's gotta deal with em, they're everywhere. And beleive it or not," Mr.Porchelli squatted, so he could see visibly into Jamie's cage. "I treat you better than any of them other managers would. So you betta smarten your attitude, like your buddy Serenade did. You got me, freak?" **

**Slowly, Jamie nodded, and his mouth forcibly twitching into a partly visible half smile. Mr.Porcelli nodded in approval and opened his cage. **

**"You're gunna be moving back to your old cage...near Serenade. But I hear one ounce of funny buisness goin' on between you two, it's strait back to trouble-makers corner. Got it, freak?" **

**Again, Jamie nodded slowly, still wearing his pathetic half smile. **

**"See." Mr.Porchelli said, pushing Jamie along through the rows and rows of cages. "Smiling isn't so bad, is it Stutta? Smiling freaks make me happy. And now you see? I'm happy, and I'm giving you your old cage back. All in a day's work, Stutta. I'm glad you're finally beginning to see what you really are." **

**A curt nod as Mr.Porchelli opened Jamie's old cage and pushed him in. **

**"Remember, Stutta. One ounce of funny buisness, it's back to troublemakers corner." **

**And then he left. **

**"Stutta!" Serenade's voice could be heard in the cage beside him. "Good behavior payin' off, eh kid?" **

**Jamie smiled and looked up into Serenade's cage thoughtfully. **

**"Serenade! They're moving you TONIGHT!" He whispered, leaning forward, Jamie shook his head in sadness at the other boy. **

**Serenade stared in disbeleif at Jamie. **

**"That...you're kiddin' me, Stutta. Ya gotta be. I...I been here for five years in countin', and now they wanna move me? I ain't goin'!" **

**Jamie shrugged, sighing piteously. **

**"I'll make sure they don't take you, Serenade!" **

**Serenade grinned and shook his head, strumming his guitar lifelessly. **

**"They won't take me." He stated, but it was noticable that he was strumming the guitar harder now from nervousness. "They can't. They try to take me, I'll open my mouth and..." **

**"Serenade!" Mr.Porchelli yelled, interrupting the man's threat as he opened Serenade's cage. "Serenade, come with me!" **

**Looking surprised, Serenade stepped out of the now open cage and joined Mr.Porchelli at his side. Casting a glance in Jamie's direction, Serenade's eyes darted to an object on the floor next to Jamie's cage. And then he was pulled away by Mr.Porchelli. **

**Reaching down to the floor, Jamie picked up the hairpin lying forgootten next to his cage. How did you pick a lock? Sighing, Jamie set to work. **

**"Serenade, Mr.Kex, Kex, Serenade. Of course you've...already met, however. So I'll just, leave you alone." Mr.Porchelli looked at his watch after making this inquiey. "Mr.Kex, the truck will be coming in sixty minutes." **

**Mr.Kex nodded bluntly, narrowing his eyes at Serenade. **

**"So...'Serenade', how ya been?" He asked, leaning forward in his chair, as though inspecting the individual in front of him. **

**Serenade narrowed his eyes also, leaning backward in his own chair. **

**"Let's just get down to buisness. Why, after five years, have you come back? Why, after five years of ignoring me, you've decided to come and make money off me? Why?" **

**A curt glance at his pocket, Mr.Kex took out a ciggarette and lit it before answering. **

**"Why, Jack, do you care?" A swig of the ciggarette, smoke blown gracefully in Jack's direction. "You may have forgotten, but I can do anything I want with you. I OWN you." **

**Glaring, Jack waved the puff of smoke away from him with a discusted look on his face. **

**"Since when did fathers own their sons?" He challenged bravely, although trmebling somewhat. **

**Mr.Kex let out a deep, rich laugh and stood up, making Serenade crane his neck. **

**"I owned you the minute you became the worthless little freak you used to be. And I still own you, after all this time. I still own you! You're worth fifteen thousand and I still own you! You have no rights! You are just a peice of property to be owned and traded!" **

**Jack jumped up from his chair, enraged. **

**"I am not in any relation to merchandise that can be bought in a cornerside conveiniance store. I am a human being, not unlike yourself!" **

**Growing slightly red, Mr.Kex looked enfuriated by this sudden burst of confidence from Serenade. **

**"You are very unlike the likes of me, Jack! You may be one of my many offspring, but you will never be accepted among the people of everyday life! You are not a human being in the slightest, you are nothing but a bad-mannered freak, cared for and handled only in the name of profit and buisness! Now I advise you learn what you are in the next fifty minutes, Serenade, or there will be a large consequence in your part." **

**Mr.Kex again glared rudely at Serenade, before opening the door to the office they had been confined in and closing it behind him. **

**It was obvious that Jack dare not escape. The risk of that was far more brudal than being moved from one freak-show to another. He was dwelling upon this when he felt a tap on his back. **

**"I'm not done..." He started to say, then turned and saw, to the delight of his eyes, Stutta smiling up at him. **

**"STUTTA!" Jack practically screamed, grabbing the boy and embracing him with a little too much force. Two multiples landed on either side of Stutta, them too smiling at their victory. **

**"Serenade, I escaped. I used the hairpin, and I unlocked the cage! Isn't that great?!" **

**Jack nodded, but looked nervous. **

**"The backstage crowd will be coming soon, and they're all expecting to throw marbles at you..." **

**Jamie smirked. **

**"I left a multiple." He shrugged, and Serenade grabbed the boy happily, ruffling his hair. **

**"You little GENIUS you!" **

**This lovely show of affection would have lasted longer, had Mr.Kex not sidled through the door at that exact moment, and gave the two a most confused look. The look of confusion, however, immediately turned into a look of absolute mockery. **

**"How sweet..." He said quietly, smirking. **

**Jack glared at Mr.Kex, placing his arm in front of the one remaining Jamie protectively. **

**"One thing, Stutta, don't get mixed up with guys like this." **

**Serenade did not expect Mr.Kex to laugh at this comment, but at his comment, Mr.Kex let out a loud laugh and crossed his arms over his chest in contempt. **

**"Something you do not know, Jack, is that he has already gotten mixed up with me. " **

**With a gasp Jack cast a glance towards Stutta, only to find he wasn't smiling anymore, far from it. Facial expressions contorted with hate, Stutta was glaring daggers at Mr.Kex, arms crossed protectlivly over his chest and a large scowl inhabiting his face. Before Serenade could say anything, Stutta was in front of him , arms spread wide, as though trying to block him from site, which was impossible, considering Serenade, and Mr.Kex, towered over him considerably. **

**"Why are you taking him?! He never did anything to you! If you knew him you wouldn't be taking him away! You're a vicious, sinful, evil, wickid man and I wish had no relation to you whatsoever!" **

**In a flash, a fist connected sharply with Jamie's jaw, sending him sprawling into Serenade, eight multiples glaring angerly at Mr.Kex as though they had been the ones hit. Jack cradled Jamie in his arms for a few seconds before lowering him down to the floor and locking eyes with Kex, anger flashing through them as he stepped forward, his large, tan hands clenched in fists trembling with anger at his sides. **

**"What's going on here? What gives you the right to hit innocent kids?!" Serenade yelled angerly, his eyebrows furrowing together in loathing. **

**Mr.Kex's fist looked itching for more prey. **

**"Innocent kids?! He is property, like you! Why, you two are more alike then you think! Both of you are nothing but worthless merchandise, to be sold and bought, and both of you belong to me. Who would have geussed that you two had the same father? No one. Not even yourselves." **

**Jack turned to look at the now one remaining Jamie, who was wiping blood from his mouth and glowering in indignation at Mr.Kex, then turned back to his father. **

**"You mean...Stutta and me...?" **

**Mr.Kex raised his eyebrow in an amused manner. **

**"Arn't you lucky, Jack." His father offered, walking up behind Jamie and picking the boy up by the back of his shirt with non-surprising easiness. "Arn't you lucky...to have cute little Jamie as your brother?" With that, he pushed Jamie forward into Serenade, who caught him nervously and pushed his younger brother behind him securely. **

**"You take one step closer and you'll be blasted into next Tuesday." Jack warned, holding his right hand out as an example. **

**Mr.Kex looked amused. **

**"What? What are you gunna do, 'serenade' me to death?" **

**Glaring, Jack cried out in rage as a sonic wave of pulsing sound exploded from his right hand. Mr.Kex flew backward considerably, slamming against the thick wall of the office, rendering himself unconsious. **

**Jack turned quickly and pulled Jamie out of the office, practically running to the emerency exit. **

**"Stut...I mean, Jamie, are you okay?" He asked, surveying the smaller boy with concern. Jamie nodded, dabbing at his still bleeding mouth with his shirt sleeve. **

**"I'm okay. Are you okay?" **

**Jack nodded, and Jamie grinned. **

**"That was SO cool. The...with your hand...and...WOW!" **

**The two smiled at each other, but then turned back to the current situation before them. **

**"How are we gunna get outta here?" Jack asked himself out loud, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. **

**Both Jamie and Jack started at a female voice behind them. **

**"It's already taken care of." **

**Jamie turned around, his eyes wide and his excitement growing, as he recognised the voice. **

**"TABBY!" he cried, running to the girl and sqeezing her torso in a hug. Lance and Pietro appeared behind her, along with the rest of the X-Men. **

**"You...you guys came to...to help me!" Jamie breathed in surprise, but still, he smiled. "I...didn't think you would..." **

**Lance stepped forward, putting his hand on Jamie's shoulder. **

**"Of course we'd come to get you...you're one of us. We look out for each other." Upon noticing Jack beside Jamie, Lance held out his hand generously. **

**"Hey, I'm Lance. Lance Alvers." **

**Jack placed his hand in Lance's tentatively. **

**"I'm Jack Madrox...formally known as Jack Singer." **

**Jean rudely ruined the moment by stepping forward in confusion. **

**"Wait...you two are related?" She asked, pointing to Jack, and then Jamie. The two nodded. **

**"Brothers." The said in unison. **

**"We had the same father." He pointed to the office. "Who's in there." **

**As if on cue, Tabby jumped forward. **

**"Let's go see him!" She suggested, grinning at Jack playfully. He stared at her, wide eyed. **

**"Um...um...well..." He stuttered stupidly, pointing at the office as though the answer to whatever he had been trying to say. Lance, Pietro, and mostly all of the X-Men gave Jack looks of bewilderment, as though saying, "Are you stupid?! You like TABBY?!" **

**"X-Men, Brotherhood, and Jack." Professor Xavier gave Jack a sly raised eyebrow. "The X-Van is parked pateintly outside, but it will not wait for much longer. Shall we go?" **

**All the X-Men nodded, turning and walking slowly out the emergency exit to the X-van, while the Brotherhood, Jamie, and Jack stayed behind. **

**"Jamie! I'm so glad we FOUND you!" Tabby sqealed, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and walking with him (although it was slightly difficult, with the height differance) to the X-Van. **

**"Well?" Pietro questioned, motioning torwards the emergency exit with an expectant look torwards Jack. "Lets go." **

**Lance did the same, and Jack stared at them. **

**"You mean...that guys in the wheelchair is gunna let me...go with you guys?" **

**Pietro and Lance nodded, each grabbing one of Jack's arms and pulling him to the exit. **

**"It's not Buckingham Palace, but it does us over alright." Lance smirked as they walked cautiously across the parking lot. **


	11. Chapter 11

-1_**Chapter 11**_

**"You guys are gunna LOVE this place!" Jamie claimed to Jake, Jared, and Jimmy as the four walked down the New York sidewalk torwards the Xavier Institute. "Its big and classy and big and BIG!" **

**Jimmy blinked at him. **

**"Is it big?" He asked with a strait face, looking confused as the other three with him startded to laugh. **

**"No, seriously?" Jake said slowly while walking up the steps and through the door. "Seriously though, this is going to be such a quiet evening. Only us four..." His face turned to simple angelic innocence at this comment. **

**Jamie raised his eyebrow at Jared curtly, surprised at his silence, and waiting for the loudest and most obnoxious boy of the J crowd to play his role. **

**"Good AFTERNOON Mr. Xavier!" Jared yelled to Logan and waved as they passed. Logan turned with wide eyes to the boy, but said nothing. **

**"Here's MY room." Jamie said proudly, gesturing his arms to show that he meant the room in front of them. Jimmy surveyed it carefully, judging every small detail with utmost care. **

**"Nice size, nice shape. BAD color, not likin' this color. Mirror? You don't even HAVE one! How do you live...how-do-you-LIVE?!" **

**"Hey, cool it, spoiled boy." Jake ordered, smiling. "I got an idea." **

**"Hey, Jakey-boy's got an idea!" Jared said excitedly, plopping himself down upon Jamie's bed in a comfortable manner. **

**"Alright, here's the plan!" Jake motioned for them all to get close, much to the reluctance of Jared, who's exact words were "I just sat down!" **

**An hour and a half later, the four mischief-makers gathered back in Jamie's room, trying to stifle their childlike giggles as they closed the door, before erupting into fits of hysterical laughter. **

**"Did you see Jean's face?" Jamie gasped out between laughs, leaning on the wall for support. **

**"What about Bobby's?!" Jared cried, in the midst of his laughter trying to mimick the aghast, almost constipated look Bobby had gotten on his face, which made then all laugh harder. **

**For moments, all they could do was sit in slightly convulsive laughter on the floor, until a soft tapping could be heard on Jamie's window that brought them all to a silent halt. **

**"W...whats that?" Jamie asked, his eyes wide. Jared, Jimmy, and Jake all covered their mouths to hide their smiles. **

**"It's your birthday present!" They all said in unison, running to open the window as the "A" crowd boys, consisting of Adam, Alan, and Andrew spilled into the room from the tree they had climbed. If that were not bad enough, after them trailed the "T" crowd boys, consisting of Tyler, Trever, Tristan, and Tanner. **

**"What are you...DOING here?!" Jamie asked in shock, staring down at the bundle of fallen friends. He moved to close the window, but a hand shot out and stopped him from this action. **

**"Hey Jamie, you weren't closin' the window on us, were ya?" The voice of Carlos Bordido rang throughout the room. Jamie stared in absolute astonishment as the "C" crowd boys jumped cat-like from the tree branch to the window, all of them, meaning Carlos, Chris, Cameron, Christian, Corey, and Colin entering with definitely grace than the "A" and "T" crowds. **

**"Happy Birthday, Jamie!" The "C" crowd sang in a perfectly harmonized "C" note. The bundle of recovering boys on the floor cheered in approval. **

**"Shhh!" Jamie said, his eyes wide as again he reached over to close the window. **

**"DONT!" Andrew ordered, slapping his hand away from the window frame and happily pushing Jamie away from the area near the window. **

**The "T" crowd had engaged themselves in moving Jamie's bed from the middle of the room to right in front of the door, and, without help from the others, were failing miserably. **

**"THERE! A nice open space!" Alan claimed, standing in the middle of the room with a satisfied look on his face. "Perfect." **

**"Perfect for what?!" Jamie demanded, and all the boys in the room turned to give him a sly grin in turn. **

**"Jamie!" There was a shrill, excited voice outside Jamie's window, before Sarah rolled in, then helped another unknown girl in after her. "Jamie, I'm here! Happy birthday!" She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, than shoved a present into his stomach with a burst of hyper enthusiasm. "This is my friend Sydney from another town." **

**The "A", "C", "T", and "J" boys all nodded in approval at the two, before continuing their work of clearing space in Jamie's room. **

**Corey cornered Sarah curiously. **

**"Hey, where's our girls? Arn't they comin'?" **

**As though answering his question, giggles could be heard as the "C" crowd girls, Caitlin, Camille, Cassie, Catrina, and Chantelle, all tried to cram through the window at the same time. Finally, Camille won, and Cassie fell through after her, following Catrina and Chantelle, who somehow maneuvered a way to squish through together. All the time never ceasing giggling. **

**"Guys!" Cassie called loudly through the window. "It's the right room, common up!" **

**A storm of giggles could be heard as thr "T" crowd girls immediately followed suite of the "C" crowd, climbing in through the window, but with much more organization. Trinity, Tracey, Tasha, and Tia moved away from the window to allow Allison, Ashley, Andrea, and Andrea (the "A" crowd girls) to flip in two at a time, and after them, cautiously, Jessica, Jannette, Jenny, and Jaquoline. **

**"Theres...girls...here..." Jamie tried to say warningly, but he couldn't help but smile. His friends had thrown him a surprise party! How could this get any better? **

**"Hey Jamie!" Sarah called, grabbing his attention. She swung a soda bottle from the tips of her fingers gaily. **

**Oh yah. It just got better. **

**"Alright...WHO DID IT?!" **

**"WHO DID IT?!" **

**"WHAT THE HECK?!" **

**"AHHH!" **

**"GROSS!" **

**"HAHA! ZAT IS GREAT!" **

**Cries of frustration, discust and confusion rang throughout the institute as Bobby and Ray were covered in honey and feathered while walking into their room, Kurt had jumped onto his bed, only to find that there was a dozen eggs underneath his blanket, Kitty had found a toy but realistic looking mouse in her slippers, Rogue had stepped in Penut butter, and Jean had somehow been buried in shaving cream while she was sleeping. **

**Enfuriated, the six all met in the hallway while storming out of their rooms. **

**"WHO..." They all said in unison to each other, but all heads immediately turned to Jamie's closed door, where high pitched giggles, squeals, and more low pitched talking could be heard. Logan and Jack ran hurridly up to the small group. **

**"Whats the big commotion?" Logan demanded, until he noticed the state of Bobby and Ray, in which he smirked and nudged Jack to show him. Jack snickered professionally. **

**"We think that they did it!" Kitty accused, pointing to Jamie's door and pouting babyishly. **

**Jack's eyes darted to the door on his right, confused. **

**"Who?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Kitty. The girl looked on the verge of a tantrum. **

**"Jamie and his STUPID, IMMATURE friends!" **

**Another giggle escaped the room on the right. **

**"Well, half pint..."Logan pointed carelessly at the door. "Why don't ya just quietly knock on the door and I'll have a word with 'em?" **

**Kitty turned the doorknob and pushed on it hard. **

**"It's not opening! They must have something in front of it!" She narrowed her eyes. "I'm phasing in!" **

**"Okay Tasha, your turn to spin the bottle!" Ashley sqealed, clapping her hands and laughing. The rest of the girls nodded and giggled in approval. Tasha spun the bottle hard, making it move across the floor torward Carlos, who looked on hopefully. No such luck. The bottle landed with a half upon Jamie. All the girls but Sarah cooed giddily, pushing him forward. **

**"Pucker up!" Tasha smiled, revealing her slightly lipstick-ey teeth. And with that, she leaned forward and touched her lips with Jamie's softly, leaving Jamie with nothing to do but widen his eyes in surprise. It was Sarah who finally pulled her rudely away. **

**"Alright, that's enough!" She said stubbornly, pulling Jamie back to his seat next to her on the floor. All the girls around her giggled, whispering "jealous are we?" and "spoil sport!" **

**Sarah just pouted as the bottle was spun by Sydney beside her. **

**"Woo hoo!" Trever cheered as the bottle slowed to a stop on him. Sydney boldly stepped forward and pecked the boy daintily on the cheek before sitting back down on the rug once again, leaving Trever crestfallen. **

**"Sarah, your turn!" Trinity pushed the bottle torwards Sarah expectantly, twitching her head in Jamie's direction and giggling. Sarah smiled at her and spun the bottle. It moved slowly around, passing by face and face another, until it started to slow, when Sarah reached her hand out and pushed it to a stop when it's nose was pointed at Jamie. Many of the girls covered their mouths to hide their smiles at this action, but the boys looked dejected. Sarah stood up and walked in front of Jamie, smiling. **

**Jamie smiled back, looking slightly nervous but nonetheless excited. Sarah! He had been waiting for her to get him! Smirking seductivly, definatly not like Sarah , she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to his feet, causing him to be eye level with her raging, jealousy filled eyes. **

**"Do you want to kiss me Jamie?"She said softly, her voice carrying an edge that made Jamie want to run away screaming. **

**"O...of course, Sahra...you're my girlfriend, aren't you?" **

**Hearing these words, Sarah pulled him forward almost hungerly, planting her lips on his and causing their noses to touch. Jamie closed his eyes and put his arms around her waist, liking the feel of her in his arms. They stayed that way for a moment, before Sarah surprised not only Jamie, but everyone in the room, by opening her mouth and trying to deepen the kiss. **

**Feeling her attempts to make the most of the moment, Jamie's eyes popped open and widened, trying to figure out what had provoked Sarah to act this way, but not having anything against it. Smiling slightly he opened his own mouth, allowing Sarah's tongue to slip in quickly, almost as though it had belonged there in the first place, and giving Jamie a chance to gather his courage. He tightened his hold on her as he felt her tongue exploring his mouth, and almost on it's own his tongue moved to explore hers, savoring the feel and delighting at the taste. **

**Suddenly their tongues entanged each other, causing them to find a new game in this pleasureful event. Smiling, Jamie untangled his tongue with Sahra's and immidiately brought it back again, causing his and Sahra's tongue's to be doing an activity, almost dancing. They savored this, but realized, slowly, that their breath was running out. Almost painfully they seperated, each gasping for air, but staring into the other's eyes with a new sence of respect. **

**The others around the circle gazed, eyes glazed and open mouthed like fish only recently caught with the hook, at the two. **

**It was then that Kitty phased back through the wall with wide eyes. **

**"...making out in the middle of the room, with a bunch of kids watching them!" Kitty finished off her detailed explanation of what she had witnessed in Jamie's room, blushing furiously. Jack looked enfuriated. **

**"Kissing! At TWELVE..." **

**"Thirteen..." Lance corrected idly, leaning against the wall outside Jamie's room and smirking. "What's the big deal? I was kissing at ten!" **

**Jack gave him a "look". **

**"Just as well..." **

**"Lemmie at the little creeps!" Rogue threghtened simply, moving forward as though to break down the door. "They got penut butter all over my new shoes!" **

**It was Pietro who quicksilvered in front of her. **

**"I think we should just calmly tell all his little buddies to leave." **

**Kitty looked thoughtful. **

**"There was girls in there too!" **

**Pietro blinked. **

**"And buddettes?" **

**"Stand aside, novice." Jack ordered, lightly pushing Pietro away from the door. The boy gave him a confused look, but moved. Jack put his hand against the door, his palm flat against the hard, mahoghany surface, closing his eyes and letting out a cry of surprise as a pulse of sound released from his hand and through the door into the room. The door stayed as it was, but inside the room, the commotion grew quiet. **

**"Um..." Jack knocked softly on the door. "J...Jamie? Kiddies?" **

**Kitty sighed in frustration and grabbed first Jack's arm, then Lance's. **

**"Oh common, you two. Let's go." And she phased them through the wall. Not long after they had phased, Kurt teleported in with the rest of the wondering bistanders. What they saw surprised them. **

**"You put them to SLEEP?" Kurt snickered, pointing to the piles of sleeping twelve/thirteen year olds scattered through the room. The others seemed less amused. **

**"Wait until they wake up." Lance said defensively when they tried to step torward the group of kids. To his surprise, Logan nodded in agreement. **

**"They'll probably be out for awhile." **

**"...home for three weeks, and you've alreayd broken four rules!" Scott scolded Jamie, Jake, Jared, and Jimmy gently. The four boys stared up at him innocently. **

**"And worst of all!" Lance finished for Scott suspensfully, staring at the boys with an offended look. "You didn't even invite me to the party!" **

**There was a squeak behind the group, and all eyes turned to a solitary figure behind them. Kitty covered her mouth in embarressment, her face turning a strange shade of red as she phased through the wall behind her. Jared turned to Logan, confused. **

**"Mr.Xavier, I swear, all we did was put a fake mouse in her shoe! Well, we were thinking about putting it in one of her drawers, but then we'd have to wait until she changed her br..." **

**"You've said enough, Jared! Shaddap!" Jake hissed harshly, wacking the talkative twelve year old none too gently upside the head. This made all the adults, save Logan, chuckle softly. **

**Jack stepped forward in front of the group professionally. **

**"Now Jamie," He started solemly, putting a hand on each of Jamie's shoulders and forcing his brother to make eye contact. "Jamie, love is pateint, and love is kind. But let me just tell you this: if you lose your virginity before you're married, I swear I'll..." **

**"Alright, slim, keep your pants on!" Logan ordered, giving Jack a silencing look. Jack gestured wildly at Jamie and his friends. **

**"That's exactly what I'm trying to make HIM do!" But another silencing look, and then a nod torwards Scott signalled his mouth should stop working. **

**Scott nodded back, a slight smile twitching about his mouth as he continued. **

**"Anyway, you have broken four rules! What do you have to say for yourself?" **

**Jamie hung his head shamefully for a moment, until he heard voices around him. **

**"It wasn't Jamie's fault!" **

**"We planned the whole thing!" **

**"Yah, it was us!" **

**Scott, Lance, and Jack exchanged curious looks. **

**"You're...taking the blame?" Lance asked, confused. The three in front of him nodded, Jimmy looking slightly reluctant. This made Jack grin and gather Jake, Jimmy, and Jared into his arms enthusiastically. **

**"You guys...aww man!" He managed, practically suffocating the twelve year olds in his grasp. It wasn't until they started choking and gasping did he let them go. **

**"Alright, you kiddies can leave. I'm givin' you a one way pass to free-way highway. Go have fun." **

**The four smiled excitedly at Jack before running down the hall happily. **

**"So...I geuss we got some phone calls to make, huh?" Jack asked Scott and Lance behind him. Scott and Lance looked at each other, confused. **

**"Huh?" Lance came out with the question going through both of their minds. Jack turned around, a manic glint in his already strangely neurotic eyes. **

**"A plane. We have to book a plane." **

**A wave of understanding mingled through the group. **


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter12**_

**"So you're CERTAIN this is the BEST you have?" **

**The employee of "Mark's CDs etc." gave Professor Xavier a searching look. **

**"Yah, dude, this is THE best we have." He persuaded, pushing the discman into Xavier's hands forcefully. The Professor looked the emplyee up and down quizzically, surveying the nametag labelled, "Mark". **

**"Now Mark." He said with a raised eyebrow, making Mark sigh and cross his arms lazily. "How can this be the best you have when it is not the most expensive?" **

**Mark's eyes looked confused. **

**"Uh...sure dude, lemmie take you to the megabucks section..." He rambled aimlessly, amist unburdening Professor Xavier from carrying the discman any longer. **

**Jamie bounced merrily on a chair in the living room. The springs in the chair made it great for jumping, and everyone was so busy with other errands, it was not as though anyone would stop him. **

**Or so he thought. **

**"JAMIE!" Jack cried, catching him mid jump and tossing him onto the couch parallel to Jamie's excersize chair. "Don't do that, you'll mess your clothes!" **

**This earned a raised eyebrow from the four Jamies now on the couch, all wearing identical brown pants and blue shirts, (designed by Jack himself, made by Pietro), brown shoes (picked out with Kurt's fashion eye) and a tie (much to the enjoyment of Kitty, and dissapointment of Jamie). **

**"Mess my clothes? Who do I got to impress?" **

**Lance appeared behind Jack, looking mysterious. **

**"Oh, you got...people...now lets go, everyone's waitin' for you to open their presents!" **

**Jamie nodded and grinned, jumping from the couch as now a lone Jamie and sprinting torwards the door. **

**"Last one there is a rotton egg!" **

**Lance scowled playfully at this comment, catching Jack's eyes in an amused manner. **

**"Oh noooo..." He said loudly, and Jack narrowed his eyes. "We wouldn't want to be rotton eggs, now would we?" **

**Jack shook his head. **

**"No...we wouldn't..." **

**Grinning, they exchanged mischievous looks, before breaking into a full out runs after Jamie, what sounded like Ancient indian battle cries escaping their mouths and causing Jamie to look back in alarm. **

**"Ahhh!" He yelled gleefully as he was lifted into the air, kicking and laughing as Lance and Jack tickled him. "Noooo, noooo! Lemmie go!" **

**"Never!" Declared Jack, holding Jamie up as a perfect target for Lance's tickling torture. "We will NEVER surrender!" **

**"Help me! Help me!" A defenseless Jamie giggled, and breathed deep as Lance abruptly stopped what he was doing and jerked his head, alarmed. **

**"Uh...Jack, why don't you uh...go on ahead, I'll be there, I got uh...you know." **

**Jack nodded and smiled. **

**"Common, Jamie, let's go! You got TONS of presents to open, I saw 'em! Theres a huge pile!" **

**His smile a replica of Jack's, Jamie felt himself being lifted onto Jack's shoulders. **

**"Tally fourth!" Jack cried dramatically as they moved down the hall and into the main room of the Xavier institute, where the rest of the X-Men were waiting. At the sight of the large group of people awaiting him, Jamie's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. **

**"Alright, Short Stuff!" Tabby greeted happily as he dismounted Jack's shoulders, shoving a lumpy present into his hands and appearing starstruck. This expression was not far off from the glazed, fish eyed look Jack was giving Tabby, his mouth opening and closing, but no sound escaping. **

**"Hey...um...JACK." Tabby gave the taller, older boy a wink for effect. "I got you a present too." **

**For a moment, Jack looked confused, but his confusion immediately changed to delighted surprise when Tabby kissed him lightly on the cheek. **

**"Now, open your present, Short Stuff!" **

**Jamie nodded and carefully ripped the paper off of the strange shaped package. Inside was a hexagon shaped box, slightly hollow, colorful, and the contents of it was none other than... **

**"A FURBY!" Jamie gasped, giggling. Pietro and the newly returned Lance exchanged wide eyed looks, while Tabby (who seemed more excited about the present than Jamie did) finally burst with her bottled up enthusiasm. **

**"I thought it looked really COOL! I'll set it up for you, kay Short Stuff?" **

**Jamie nodded and handed his Furby over to Tabby. Jean rushed over next. **

**"Happy Birthday, Jamie!" She said, smiling affectionately at the twelve year old and placing a neatly wrapped box into his hands. Examining it closely, Jamie neatly removed the papaer from the box, sure to set it aside, unwrinkled, for effect, and opened the box. Out tumbled a black jacket and matching...bowler? **

**Jean immediately burst into explanation. **

**"I realized you didn't have a coat, so I decided I would buy you one. It gets just as cold here as it does in Rhode Island. And, well, I couldn't stop there, I just had to buy you a hat to go with it!" She looked positely giddy with satisfaction as she put the hat on him. **

**"Thanks Jean!" Jamie pulled the jacket on reluctantly. The jacket WAS stylish, and he didn't want to make Jean feel bad. **

**Along with those two presents, Jamie got a pocketknife from Wolverine (much to the dissaproval of the older X-Men), a CD from Jubille (more like a "oh my gosh I want this CD so I think I'll buy it for Jamie and then borrow it forever" present), a strange set of cards from Amara, an ice cube tray from Bobby (okay...), a basketball from Tyler (and a promise to play), cologne from Pietro ("I use it myself, it attracts lady like hellfire!"), a few others, and sunglasses similar to Scott's from Ray (worn immediately after opening, of course.) **

**Tabby and Jamie were both lying on the floor, poking and patting and feeding his Furby, when silence began to envelope the room. **

**"Atty way, OBI!" The Furby belted happilly, unaware of the sudden stillness that the room held. Curiously, Jamie looked around to where the others were looking, and his eyes widened behind his glasses and a gasp escaped him. **

**There, standing in the doorway of the room, was a woman around the age of thirty eight, her eyes a clear shade of blue, and her dark brown hair pulled back into an adventurous bun. The cheap looking green shirt she wore was stained with the tears that flowed from her eyes. **

**"Mo..." Jamie was unable to finish the word as he stood up, pulling off the sunglasses and staring in amazement. "M-m-mom?" **

**The woman choked out a sob as she ran forward to the boy, engulfing him in a tight hug. **

**"Jamie...Jamie...it's been so long...so long..." She whispered in between sobs, never releasing her son from the death grip she held him in. **

**Jamie could feel tears dripping from his eyes, and desperately wished he could put his sunglasses on. His mother was there, in front of him...after so many years, she was there. Hugging him. He could smell her. She smelt of cinnamon. She always smelt of cinnamon on special occasions. **

_**"Waffles, mommy, I'm makin' waffles!" Four year old Jamie demanded, mixing the batter in the bowl somewhat clumsily. His mother raised her eyebrow at him questionably, eyes darting to the kitchen covered with scattered ingrediants, then back to her son. **_

_**"Waffles, huh? Who're they for?" **_

_**Jamie turned and gave his mother a look that clearly said "duh". **_

_**"For you, mommy, these is for you! For mothers day!" **_

_**A glimse at the calander. October. **_

_**"Mothers day, hmm? Well, I geuss, if they're for me, you won't mind be adding some..." Hilary Madrox pulled out the hidden bag of chocolate chips mischeviously. "Chocolate?" **_

_**This earned a giggle from Jamie as the two scooped handfuls of chocolate chips into the batter of the waffles, always carefully stirred and then poured into the waffle iron. **_

_**"Watch out mommy!" Jamie cried, pointing behind Hilary as she backed up to examine the mess before her. She stopped, but not fast enough. Her foot made contact with a broken egg on the kitchen floor, and she fell promptly into an opened sack of flower, showering the contents thoroughly over the room. Identical blue eyes blinked at each other under layers of flower that caked their clothes and faces. **_

_**"Are you okay mommy?" Jamie asked, jumping down from his stool and running to his mother's side. To his utter surprise, he was greeted with a faceful of flour. **_

_**"Flour fight!" Hilary sqealed, hitting Jamie with another handful of flour. But this time, the flour was mutual, and her face was soon white with the powdery goodness. **_

_**"I think this is the best mothers day ever!" Jamie claimed after the flour had been cleaned. Hilary gathered her son up into a hug and carried him over to their couch, snuggling her chin into his hair as the both lay down for a much needed rest. **_

_**"You know what Jamie." She said, hugging her son close while he slept, breathing in the strong scent of cinnamon about her. "So do I." **_

_**CRASH! The bike fell with a shattering impact onto the sidewalk, scratched and crestfallen five year old with it. **_

_**"Mooommmeeeee!" He whined, rubbing at his now bleeding knee. Hilary Madrox stood in front of Jamie and picked him up, kissing his knee in sympathy. **_

_**"You wanna give up, Jamie?" She asked, noticing the many bruises and cuts that her son now carried. But the boy shook his head. **_

_**Smiling slightly, Hilary held the bike in place while Jamie mounted. **_

_**"Ready, hunny?" Jamie nodded, his lips pursed in determination. Hilary ran beside the bike, accelerating it, than let go. **_

_**"PETAL, JAMIE, PETAL! YOU CAN DO IT, I BELEIVE IN YOU!" **_

_**Jamie put his feet on the petals and petalled firmly. **_

_**"BALANCE, JAMIE!" **_

_**Biting his bottom lip in concentration, Jamie pulled on the handlebars for balance, and his eyes widened in surprise. **_

_**"Mommy! Look, Mommy, I'm doing it! Look!" **_

_**Hilary could be heard cheering behind him as Jamie pushed backward on the petal to signal the brake. **_

_**"Mommy! I did it! I did it!" **_

_**His mother's eyes were filled with tears as she clapped for him. **_

**The two shared a memorable silence before Hilary pulled Jamie into her arms in a hug. **

**"How about we go to bed now, champ? It's past your bedtime." **

**Jamie nodded and wheeled the victorious bike back into the garage, his beam lighting up the dark room. His mother had known he would do it... because she smelt like cinnamon. **

_**"Jamie! Jamie, your mother's on the phone!" Mrs.Darren yelled up the stairs, covering the mouthpeice of the phone with her hand as she yelled for the six year old. The response was a pounding of footsteps down the stairs, and a mad dash for the phone. **_

_**"Mommy!" Jamie yelled enthusiastically into the phone. "How's Austramial?" **_

_**Hilary could be heard chuckling on the other end of the line. **_

_**"Thats AUSTRALIA, hunny, and it's great. How are you behaving for your babysitter?" **_

_**Jamie smiled at Mrs.Darren angelically. **_

_**"She says I'm a little angel." **_

_**Hilary chuckled again, but she could feel her throat becoming tight, and her eyes start to itch. **_

_**"Thats great, sweetie. Now, I have to talk to Mrs.Darren. You be good now." **_

_**Jamie nodded, despite the fact his mother could not see him. **_

_**"Yes Mommy." **_

_**"I love you, my little angel." Hilary said quietly, sniffing back the tears that threghtened to fall, and hearing her voice crack. **_

_**"I love you too, Mommy! See you soon!" And the phone was handed back to Mrs.Darren. **_

_**"Jamie, go outside and play now, scoot!" Mrs.Darren ordered, covering the moutpeice with her hand as she so always did. Jamie nodded and grabbed his favorite toy, a purple ball with a star on it, before running outside. He had left the wooden door open, so that if Mrs.Darren needed him, she could just yell, and he could hear her. **_

_**Sitting in the driveway, Jamie pondered. What could he do for his mother for when she got back? He could buy her something, but he had no money. He could make her something, but he was never really very good at arts and crafts. Maybe he could...he eyed the chalk scattered on the grass happily, and gathered it. **_

_**"I could draw Mommy a picture, for when she gets back." He said to himself, drawing a large, purple heart on the driveway with the chalk, than coloring it in semi-neatly. He was in the mist of trying to figure out how to spell "Hilary" when a voice behind him made Jamie jump. **_

_**"It's a lovely picture." A voice mused behind him. The voice was deep, far too deep to be a male child. The voice sounded almost fourty. **_

_**"I'm not alloud to talk to strangers." Jamie stated promptly, proud of himself for remembering as he drew a dark blue "H" over the heart. Soon the man was crouching beside him, watching him. **_

_**"You just did." **_

_**At this remark, Jamie looked up, confused. **_

_**"Huh?" **_

_**The man, clad all in black, picked up a white peice of chalk and toyed with it, throwing it from one leather-clad gloved hand to the other. **_

_**"You said 'I'm not alloud to talk to strangers', but you just did. You told me that, didn't you?" **_

_**Jamie stood up, not reaching the crouching man's height, but still eyeing him suspiciously. **_

_**"My Mommy's not home. Mrs.Darren's here." As though this solved everything, he gathered up his chalk and threw it into the bucket it had come in, before walking over to his ball and bouncing it a few times against the cement. **_

_**When he looked up again, the man was still watching him, and Jamie began to grow nervous. **_

_**"Mrs.Darren's in THERE." He stated, pointing to the screen door. The man shook his head and smiled sadly. **_

_**"I'm not here to see Mrs.Darren." **_

_**Jamie threw his ball down beside him in frustration and blinked nervously at the man, picking up his teddy bear from its perch on the cement. **_

_**"Well, my Mommy's in Austrami...Austra-li-a. She's not coming back for..." He held up five fingers. "This many...five...days." **_

_**The man nodded. **_

_**"Precisely. Now, I beleive you should come with me, Jamie, so we don't disturb Mrs.Darren." The man held out this gloved hand, and Jamie backed up, his eyes wide. **_

_**"Uhh...uh..." He hugged his teddy bear helplessly. The man pulled his hat down further over his eyes and took a step closer to the small boy. **_

_**"W-what do you want?" Jamie asked, his small voice becoming even smaller as he hugged his teddy bear tight, desperately wishing that his mother were here. **_

_**"I want you boy, and only you, and I'm not leaving till I get what I want." **_

_**The man's voice was eerie and cold, sending shivers down Jamie's small spine as he tried to look up into his eyes, no luck comming to him. As quick as lightning the man's hand shot forward, grabbing Jamie's small arm tightly and yanking him forcefully towards one of the many vans parked in front of his house that he had not noticed before. **_

_**"STOP! Let me go!! Let me go mister! I don't want to go with you, I don't like you! MRS. DARREN! MRS.DARREN! MRS.DARREN!" Jamie started screaming at the top of his lungs, and, being six years old, it was quite loud. Jamie heard the man curse softly as Mrs.Darren came running out of the house, flour on her hands and a frantic look on her face. **_

_**"Jamie? JAMIE!" Mrs. Darren cried out in fear, starting towards the man holding Jamie with her rolling pin held high over her head. "You let him go, you hear me, you hooligan? Let that boy go this INSTANT!" **_

_**"Mrs.Darren!" Jamie cried, trying to free himself from he firm grip of the man, failing miserably, but seeing a faint bruise starting to appear where his fingers were squeezing on his white skin. The man twitched his head towards the vans, and in an instant there were five men surrounding Mrs.Darren. **_

_**"Somebody! Help me! HELP!" Jamie cried, trying to attract the attention of the neighbors that always seemed to be in your buisness when you didn't want them there, but when you needed them, they were anywhere but at home. "HELP! HE WON'T LET GO!" **_

_**Rage filled the man's features as he realized what Jamie was trying to do, knowing it would work if he didn't put a stop to it. Lifting his free hand, he brought it down upon the boy's neck as hard as he could, watching as the small figure crumbled to the ground, uconcious. **_

_**"JAMIE!" Mrs.Darren cried, trying to get through the strong-loking men surrounding her. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM? JAMIE! SPEAK TO ME!! JAMIE! WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH HIM?" **_

_**The man smirked from his postion at the end of the driveway and picked up the small form that was Jamie, throwing the limp body over his shoulder like a sack of potatos, before waving his hand at the men to signal. **_

_**Mrs.Darren looked frantically from man to man, all faces from all sides smirking evilly at her. She did not even notice one man that slipped from the group to go behind her. The man got behind Mrs.Darren and positioned his hand perfectly, so as to make just the right hit, before bringing his hand town upon her neck, causing her to crumble to the ground, eyes closed and body motionless. **_

_**"Let's go boys." Kevin Madrox said to his followers, entering the middle van and slamming the door behind him. All three vans drove off. **_

**Hilary Madrox finally released her lost son from the hard grip she had held him in. **

**"After they took you, we searched. Mrs.Darren and I...we searched for three strait months for you, hunny. I missed you so much..." She sobbed and pulled Jamie into a hug again. Scott, Lance, and Jack all sent each other appreciative smiles, and then turned to give the mother and son privacy. **

**"Oh yes..." Hilary said to the speechless Jamie, pulling out a paper bag. "I...I bought these so long ago for you. From...Austramial." The two smiled at the memory. **

**"Jamie?" Jack's voice interrupted the two sometime later, talking quietly. "Uh...sorry to interrupt, Jamie, but Tabby really wants you to try her cake that she made..." He grinned at the thought of Tabby. Jamie nodded. **

**"Mom...this is Jack. He's my half brother." **

**Hilary's eyes darted from Jamie to Jack, easily spotting the resemblance they had to each other and their father. **

**"You mean..." Her eyes twinkled. "I geuss this means I'll be setting another place at the table during school vacations?" **

**This earned a laugh from the three as they headed into the dining room where everyone was waiting. **

**"So, this means you're not going anywhere for awhile?" Jamie asked cautiously as they stood outside the door to the dining room. Hilary sighed and pulled her son close to her, squishing him against her stomach. **

**"I'm not going anywhere, Jamie...you can count on it." **

**A/N: Ok so this is the last chapter. I had fun writing it and im really gonna miss it.**


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